Inside Track September 2021 by RBD Media

September 2021 | Issue 3 railbusinessdaily.com

ENHANCING BRITAIN’S RAILWAYS

Improving reliability and performance on the East Coast main line across the Pennines between Aberdeen and Inverness in Devon and Cornwall and more...

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Contents September 2021 | Issue 3 railbusinessdaily.com

ENHANCING BRITAIN’S RAILWAYS

The importance of the Enhancements Pipeline

It’s been two years since the list of upcoming rail enhancements was published. RIA’s Darren Caplan considers the ramifications.

8 Improving reliability and performance on the East Coast main line across the Pennines between Aberdeen and Inverness in Devon and Cornwall and more...

The obvious answer is that the government pays. However, it is Network Rail that spends the money and manages the programmes.

12 Tel: 0800 046 7320 Sales: 020 7062 6599 Editor Nigel Wordsworth nigel@rbdpublications.com Writers Danny Longhorn Dave Windass Rachel Groves Graham Coombs Designer/Production Editor Chris Cassidy Print Manager Dan Clark Advertising Team Christian Wiles – chris@rbdpublications.com Freddie Neal – freddie@rbdpublications.com Elliot Gates – elliot@rbdpublications.com Amy Hudson – amy@rbdpublications.com Published by RBD Publications Ltd, Suite 37, Philpot House, Station Road, Rayleigh, Essex, SS6 7HH. Printed by Stephens & George © 2021 All rights reserved. Reproduction of the contents of this magazine in any manner whatsoever is prohibited without prior consent from the publisher. For subscription enquiries and to make sure you get your copy of InsideTrack please ring 0800 046 7320 or email subscriptions@rbdpublications.com The views expressed in the articles reflect the author’s opinions and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher and editor. The published material, adverts, editorials and all other content is published in good faith.

Who pays for enhancements?

Upgrading the East Coast main line

A series of projects over the past four years have culminated in a major first for British railway engineering.

A REAL upgrade

Where are we with CP6?

Alongside the upgrades to the East Coast main line, a lesser-known project has been taking place to upgrade the traction power supply for all the additional trains.

RIA policy director Kate Jennings considers how the railway is faring as it comes out of the pandemic and finds itself already halfway through the current control period.

Why service quality regimes are going to transform rail

As the Williams-Shapps Plan for Rail begins to make an impact, Toby Hawkins considers service quality regimes and the changes they will bring.

Great British Railways – the plan ahead

Britain’s railway is set for its biggest shake-up in a generation, with a new public body that will own the infrastructure and run the network.

Resignalling London’s subsurface railway

The programme to modernise the four lines of London’s sub-surface railway has been running for 18 years and is not yet complete.

Upgrading the railway across the Pennines

The railway from Manchester to Leeds and York is a key route for the North. Network Rail now has almost £1 billion to upgrade it.

Whatever happened to the 44 National Electrification Programme? Although it can hardly be labelled a success, lessons have to be learned for the future. railbusinessdaily.com

Selling electrification

Electrification debate heats up

Although electrifying the railway is a good way to reduce carbon emissions, it is still a concept that needs to be sold to sceptics and the uninitiated.

Despite some 179 track kilometres electrified in 2020-21, doubts remain if the UK will hit the target of a net zero railway by 2050.

A2I – Improving the line from Aberdeen to Inverness

Work started in 2014 and was completed in 2019, with a new station opening one year later and another planned for 2022.

Remodelling the Island Line

Building Back Better to Brighton

The Island Line , the Isle of Wight’s railway, has been closed for 10 months while the line was refurbished and new rolling stock tested. Now it is ready to re-enter service.

Improving reliability and accessibility on one of the main routes from London to the south coast.

Rail Wellbeing Live set for launch

A free and virtual event featuring a programme of 75 inspiring sessions and over 100 expert speakers will take place on 17 and 18 November.

Way out West

End of the line

Procurement process? Or legal process?

Much work has been done since the route to Devon and Cornwall was washed away at Dawlish in 2014 to make it more reliable and to reopen old connections.

In October, Southeastern services were taken into government control following the results of an investigation by the Department for Transport.

The procurement of HS2’s new fleet of trains has turned into a legal battle before the recipient of the contract has even been officially announced.

Restoring the past for future generations to enjoy

The Bluebell Railway has launched an appeal to restore Horsted Keynes station, a popular location for films and television. Building Britain’s RailwaysSeptember - Major projects 2021

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Introduction

Enhancing Britain’s Railways For this third issue of Inside Track – our six-part look at the way the UK’s railway works – we return to infrastructure with the topic of Enhancing Britain’s Railways

nhancement is all about improving, not just maintaining or renewing, but actually making things better. Improving resilience, shortening journey times, making the passenger experience more enjoyable, reducing cost – these are all enhancements. So, we look at enhancements to the Aberdeen – Inverness line in Scotland, where longer platforms, increased double-tracking and two new stations will make journeys both quicker and more convenient. At the other end of the country, we report on actions to stop the railway washing away in storms or disappearing under landslips. These are both enhancements.

Classification

railbusinessdaily.com

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Enhancements make things better, and construction goes where no railway has gone before, or at least not for a long time

“

Railway infrastructure projects can be classified in one of four ways. Maintenance fixes things that are broken or stops them from breaking in the first place. If they are just worn out, after a full and productive life, that’s a renewal. Enhancements make things better, and construction goes where no railway has gone before, or at least not for a long time. Sometimes the distinction gets a bit blurred. The aforementioned Aberdeen to Inverness line has two new stations (construction), and longer passing loops and twin-track sections (construction), but the whole project is designed to reduce journey times and improve passenger service on an existing railway (enhancement). In Cornwall, three major projects have replaced worn-out track in the biggest programme the county has seen for 60 years (renewal), but this was to make the railway more reliable before the world’s leaders arrived for the G7 summit (enhancement).

Network Rail laid 11 miles of new track in four weeks to reopen the old Dartmoor line (construction), yet the line had always been there

for a freight service and the occasional summer excursion, so it was really ‘just’ an enhancement. On London’s Underground, the sub-surface railway (Circle, District, Hammersmith & City and Metropolitan lines) has been there in one guise or another for over a century. It needs a lot of maintenance, but replacing the entire signalling system will reduce journey times, so the 4LM programme is an enhancement. However you view it, I hope reading our latest offering will ensure you maintain your interest in today’s railway, renew your enthusiasm for being part of it, enhance your understanding of the challenges the industry faces and build up your knowledge of how the railway works.

September 2021

Enhancements Pipeline

The importance of the Enhancements Pipeline It’s been two years since the list of upcoming rail enhancements was published, leaving rail suppliers with little visibility of what the future holds. Darren Caplan, chief executive of the Railway Industry Association, considers the ramifications

Image: Network Rail

September 2021

And how do we ensure that, going forward, we avoid this issue in future? This issue began when government moved to a new decision-making process for rail enhancements, the Rail Network Enhancements Pipeline, or the RNEP.

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It is ever more important that government provides clarity and certainty

“

t the time of writing, it has now been two years since rail suppliers saw a list of upcoming rail enhancement projects planned for Control Period 6 (CP6), the current funding cycle. The lack of visibility has caused real issues for rail businesses, many of which have not been able to plan for upcoming work. For multinational companies in rail, this causes a whole number of issues – from not being able to increase capacity to satisfy upcoming demand, to making it harder for UK divisions to justify getting further investment from their international HQs. And the issue trickles down to SMEs, which need the certainty to run successfully. Yet, how did the rail sector end up in a situation where we don’t know what projects are coming down the line for the next few years?

The RNEP is the decision-making process for upgrades on the rail network. Network Rail’s investment is broadly split into two pots: funding

for Operations, Maintenance, and Renewals (OMR) and enhancements, with enhancements encompassing any improvements made to the rail network – such as a station upgrade, electrification work or constructing a new railway line.

New decision process In 2019, following CP5, the government separated the decision-making process for enhancements from the funding given to OMR and created a new, separate process for deciding which projects would go ahead. The main reason was that some projects in CP5 had seen cost escalations, most notably the Great Western Electrification Programme, and government felt a new process would help avoid these issues in the future.

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Enhancements Pipeline

As the RNEP’s explanatory note sets out, there was an acknowledgement from government when it was first published that, with “a growing rail network built by and for a diverse range of stakeholders, it is ever more important that government provides clarity and certainty over how projects are moved forward, and what railway users can expect.” In particular, the RNEP works by moving projects through five stages – Determine, Develop, Design, Deliver and Deploy. The business case of a particular project is built up as it moves through these stages, with the government choosing whether to proceed or not at any point during which a project moves through the pipeline.

Visibility of the RNEP However, although there was an agreement that the government would publish the RNEP annually, its publication has been irregular and only after significant lobbying from the rail supply sector. In 2019, the Railway Industry Association launched a ‘Rail Enhancements Clock’, counting the number of days since the government had promised to publish the RNEP. On 21 October 2019, the document was published, setting out 58 schemes at various stages of development. Since then, there has been no further update, with it being now two years as at 21 October 2021 – that’s 731 days – since the 2019 update. Of course, with the coronavirus pandemic, the government’s focus has been directed to a number of high-priority issues, primarily with regard to keeping our railway network functioning. Yet, as we emerge from the pandemic, the lack of visibility of upcoming projects can directly impact the sector’s ability to generate an economic recovery. What is more, in that time the government has said that £1 billion has been cut from the enhancements budget, taking the total amount for CP6 from £10.4 billion to £9.4 billion (a Network Rail document recently stated that the budget was actually now £8.9 billion).

Image: Network Rail

RIA’s Rail Enhancement Clock is still running, but it is clear that there will have been changes to the schemes within the pipeline. So, we ask that the remainder of the enhancement budget be spent by the end of CP6, March 2024, to avoid funding for these schemes being lost or delayed significantly; and for future enhancement budgets to be similarly tied to and spent within the relevant Control Period, so that schemes are not timed out.

Why is it important? Getting visibility of the RNEP is vitally important to rail suppliers working in rail infrastructure, who need to plan for upcoming work. Of the 58 projects in the 2019 update, there has been news on several – such as the Transpennine Route Upgrade and Bolton to Wigan electrification. But for other projects, there has been little update, meaning businesses are planning for them to come down the line with little certainty as to whether they actually will. There is also the fear that the longer these projects are delayed, the more money may get timed out – seeing where projects are in the pipeline can help ensure this doesn’t happen in future. Some of the schemes in the 2019 update may not be going ahead, but without sight of the schemes, rail suppliers are left in the dark.

In September, the Infrastructure Projects Authority (IPA) published a list of upcoming projects, including in rail, that the government is looking to deliver, including many we would expect to see in the RNEP. RIA is currently analysing the list of projects, but it is already clear that not all RNEP projects are included in this list, meaning the IPA’s work doesn’t take away the need for an updated RNEP document. How do we get this right in the future? Clearly, the government needs to uphold its commitment to publish the RNEP on an annual basis. Alternatively, as the industry restructures and Great British Railways is set up, there may be a role for the new organisation in keeping rail suppliers up to date on what projects are coming up.

Build Back Better As the UK looks to generate an economic recovery, and with the railway supply sector able to help the government deliver on its Build Back Better agenda, providing the rail supply chain with certainty of upcoming work is essential and cost-free (after all, the budgets have already been allocated). With it now being two years since the RNEP was last published, providing this visibility is more important than ever.

Image: Network Rail

railbusinessdaily.com

September 2021

Funding Enhancements

Who pays for enhancements? The obvious answer is that the government pays. However, the big debate is all about how much it pays, how Network Rail spends that money, and how well programmes are managed to minimise cost overruns

London Waterloo station Image: Network Rail

September 2021

Railtrack was placed into ‘Railway Administration’ on 7 October 2001. This allowed the railway to keep running, which it did for a year. During this time, the government formed Network Rail, which would take over control of the railway’s assets from Railtrack. Rail Regulator Tom Winsor announced on 22 September 2002 that he would be reviewing Railtrack’s finances and financial needs with a view to advancing significant sums of money.

“

Great Western Electrification wasn’t the only major programme in trouble, it was just the most visible

“

etwork Rail is the governmentowned organisation that owns and maintains the railway network in England, part of Wales and Scotland. Due to devolution, Scotland has a separate budget, but the railway is still owned by Network Rail. In Wales, the Welsh Government has taken over part of the infrastructure, but other parts are still with Network Rail. When the railways were privatised in 1994, a process that took until 1997, the infrastructure went to Railtrack, a company that was listed on the London Stock Exchange as part of the FTSE 100. Many things went wrong for Railtrack, including spiralling costs, questions about the quality of its maintenance, and the Hatfield rail crash of 17 October 2000. As a result of the subsequent investigation’s findings, Railtrack had to carry out an extra £580 million of repairs. Costs and compensation to the victims accounted for another £733 million. As a consequence, Railtrack asked government for a further £2 billion in funding, and then authorised a £138 million dividend payout to its shareholders, which didn’t go down well.

The government used this to go to the High Court and get Railtrack released from administration on the grounds that it was no longer insolvent.

The railway administration order was duly discharged on 2 October 2002. One day later, on 3 October 2002, Network Rail purchased Railtrack plc, and its debt of £7 billion, for £500 million. The company was promptly renamed Network Rail Infrastructure Limited.

Control periods To manage its funding of the railways, the government created railway control periods, normally of five years duration (the first was only four). A plan would be put forward, discussed, amended, and then a budget established for the whole of the next period. The process developed over time. For Control Period 1 (CP1 – 1 April 1995 to 31 March 1999) the process was new and was tied up with railway privatisation, which wasn’t complete until 1997. As discussed above, Railtrack went into liquidation in 2001 and was acquired by Network Rail in 2002, in the middle of CP2 (1999-2004). But by CP5, the system was pretty well established.

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I n sFue raat nu cr e Funding Enhancements

Advice for Railway Companies – monthly feature by Jobson James Rail – The Rail Broker

The rail regulator, the ORR since 2004 (first Office of Rail Regulation, then Office of Rail and Road from 2015 when it was appointed Monitor of National Highways) would conduct a Periodic he ofClaims Handling Review NetworkAllocation Rail beforeand making a Final Agreement (CAHA) was created back Determination as to Network Rail’s budget for the in the early days of rail privatisation. It is a next control period. contract train operators, setting It is quitebetween a long process. The ORR published out arrangements for the allocation of its first PR13 (Periodic Review 2013) consultation liabilities and the handling of claims arising document on 25 May 2011. ‘Advice to ministers’ fromboth train accidents. (for England & Wales and Scotland) and the To minimise the number claimsPR13 dragged review initiation notice formallyofstarting came through the courts and to prevent any out on 15 March 2012, Network Rail published embarrassment from rail privatisation creating its strategic business plan (SBP) in January 2013 lots of lawyers, its CAHA the way and thework ORRforpublished final dictates determination in that these claims will be handled and stipulates October 2013 for CP5, which started on 1 April 2014 thatran train companies handle their own and through until 31 have Marchto2019.

What is CAHA and why is it relevant to my insurance?

claims. The result is that it is not necessary for a third party establish which CAHA Party (train Finaltocost operator etc) caused their injury is of legally The final determination for the fiveand years CP5 liable for the claim. was £38.3 billion. This included various overhead Whilst such its intention was mainly support to agree (£2.1 how charges, as administrative claims from members of the public would be billion), operations costs, including signalling (£2 handled if there were a train accident CAHA billion) and industry costs, including purchasing actuallypower, appliesbusiness to any rates, personcontributions who is injured in traction to the aBritish trainTransport accident, which includes professional Police and the ORR (£3 billion). railway personnel as well.

Dawlish station Image: Network Rail

That left the Tim bulkSmith of theCert costCII splitNEBOSH three ways – maintenance (£4.6 billion), renewals (£12.8 billion) and enhancements (£12.8 billion). Jobson we look of ItAtwas a veryJames formalRail, process, whichatit lots had to railway contracts and we regularly see that the be considering the sums of taxpayers’ money arrangements relating to CAHA have cause been involved, but it was also lengthy. This could extended to contractors and sub-contractors. problems as a capital project planned for The the consequence is thatperiod, infrastructure end of the control or one subcontractors, that would run which have elements CAHA imposed on them for a number of yearsofincluding at or even over under Network Rail contracts, often become the end of the period, had to be in the Network liableSBP, for which injury liability up toor£7,500, even Rail could beclaims six years more before

though they may not have caused them.

Strictly speaking, accepting CAHA terms puts railway infrastructure contractors in breach of their own insurance, which could therefore potentially leave them uninsured. This is because most Public/Product Liability policies contain a “rights of recourse” condition that invalidates the cover if the policyholder has agreed to waive its rights to compensation theThis negligent the expenditure was actuallyfrom made. led to party that caused the claim – which is the whole inaccuracy, as work was being costed before it purpose of CAHA. was even fully planned and designed. Thatalliscame why to wea arrange liability This head withfor theCAHA Great Western to be included within our clients’ insurance Electrification project. A combination of early cost programmes, at no additional so our clients estimates, ordering equipment cost, and commencing do not have to worry about such contractual work before designs were finalised and complex terms. project management led to a huge overspend and a reduction of scope that has left one end of Tim Smith Cert CII NEBOSH the line, at Bristol Temple Meads station, without Client Director at Jobson James Rail electrification at all. 07493 868 305

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July 2021 | 11 Building Britain’s RailwaysSeptember - Major projects 2021

Funding Enhancements

Great Western Electrification wasn’t the only major programme in trouble, it was just the most visible. Network Rail’s reclassification as an arm’s length central government body had also had an effect, as it could no longer issue debt in the capital markets in its own name – it would be solely dependent on money from central government. No longer could an overspend be covered by issuing new UKRAIL bonds, it would have to request further funding from government.

A stack of reviews

Planning processes, which had been thought to have worked successfully at the previous control period, were shown to be inadequate in the face of the scale and complexity of the CP5 programme – including, very importantly, proposed electrification works on a scale not attempted before in the UK; The definition of organisational responsibilities between the Department, Network Rail and the ORR were unclear, lacking the relentless focus and clarity required for the design and execution of a major infrastructure programme; The overall plans encompassed a complex portfolio of schemes, subject to poor scope definition from the outset and ongoing ‘scope creep’ which led to cost increases;

While Dame Colette Bowe was asked to look at programme planning, newly appointed Network Rail chairman Sir Peter Hendy CBE was asked by the Secretary of State for Transport to replan the CP5 enhancements “in a way that is efficient, deliverable and affordable”.

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Place the needs of passengers and freight shippers at the heart of rail infrastructure management

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Although much has been made of the recent Williams Review, and its resulting WilliamsShapps Plan for Rail (see Inside Track issue 2), it is only the latest in a series of reviews of the railway conducted in recent years. Dame Colette Bowe, former chairman of Ofcom, was asked to review Network Rail’s planning process for CP5, to consider the lessons to be learned and the practical steps that might be taken to ensure more effective future planning and delivery. Her conclusions were that a number of issues had combined to cause cost escalation and delays to projects and programmes:

He reported that, while the vast majority of projects were being delivered on time and on budget, there were a small number of projects for which the forecast cost estimates were significantly higher than originally assumed, particularly the electrification projects and several projects where the scope was poorly defined at the outset.

The result of Sir Peter’s review was that the programme would be replanned while the government supplied an additional £700 million. Network Rail would also aim to generate £1.8 billion from sale of part of its property portfolio. Sir Peter stated in his November 2015 report that “the vast majority of programmes and projects will go ahead for delivery by 2019. The remaining projects will be delivered after 2019 so that Network Rail remains within its funding envelope. As a result, the full programme is now expected to be delivered over a more realistic timescale. No infrastructure schemes have been cancelled.” Interestingly, one statement in the main body of the report was: “Midland main line improvements across CP5 and CP6 will mean the route to Kettering and Corby will be electrified by 2019, and the route to Sheffield by 2023.” The first part of that statement is now in operation, the second has stalled again. The Hendy Review was followed by the Shaw Report of March 2016. Nicola Shaw CBE, chief executive of High Speed 1, was asked to provide options for the future shape and financing of Network Rail in order to support growth and investment.

Issues of effective internal programme and portfolio management, notably at Network Rail, where a combination of changing internal structures and responsibilities obscured lines of accountability for efficiency and delivery; When it came to delivery, early costing errors, unanticipated interdependencies, lower than expected productivity and the failure to ensure agreed front-end scope definition also contributed to the problems.

September 2021

Ipswich chord Image: Network Rail

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Funding Enhancements

Her brief included a note that the railway is “a vital national asset; driving economic growth, increasing social and economic cohesiveness, and occupying a unique place in the national consciousness as something that both exists for everybody and belongs to everybody.” In her report, Nicola Shaw proposed strengthening the role of Network Rail route managers to increase accountability and efficiency. She also recommended a new northern route and a new freight route, to ensure the rail freight industry could continue to contribute to growth. In total, she made seven recommendations: 1. Place the needs of passengers and freight shippers at the heart of rail infrastructure management. 2. Focus on the customer through deeper route devolution, supported by independent regulation. 3. Create a route for the North, to work closely with the customers there and, in particular, the new regional government body Transport for the North. 4. Clarify the government’s role in the railway and Network Rail. In particular, the roles of the Department for Transport (DfT) – as funder, client and owner of Network Rail – should be considered and clarified. 5. Plan the railway based on customer, passenger and freight needs. Enhancement planning should be generated from passenger and freight shipper requirements. 6. Explore new ways of paying for the growth in passengers and freight on the railway. 7. Develop industry-wide plans to develop skills and improve diversity. Picking up on recommendation 6, exploring new ways of funding programmes, Network Rail commissioned Professor Peter Hansford, former chief construction advisor to the UK Government, to carry out a review into the barriers that prevent third parties building on, and potentially investing in, the railways. Professor Hansford and his review team reported in June 2017. They looked at the challenges of attracting funding and financing, removing barriers to third party involvement, increasing contestability to provide more opportunities for third parties and using different contracting strategies, so third parties can deliver for less cost. They then made recommendations on how to proceed by delivering more value for money, broadening third-party investment and enabling third-party delivery, and they made some suggestions on oversight arrangements.

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Working in the Severn tunnel Image: Network Rail

As a result of all these reviews, reports and recommendations, it was decided that, for CP6 (2019-2024), things would be done differently. Major enhancements would no longer be part of the control period process. Instead, Network Rail would be funded to develop, design and cost the project, which would then be submitted to the Department for Transport, and thence to the Treasury, for approval and funding. Projects could then be assessed when they were fully costed, they could start when funding was made available, regardless of the control period cycle, and, if they were delivered over several control periods, it didn’t impact anything else. The DfT published ‘Rail Network Enhancements Pipeline – A New Approach for Rail Enhancements’ in March 2018. It described how, in future, schemes would go through three stages and four decision gateways before the funding was approved for Network Rail to deliver them. The gateways are: Decision to Initiate – takes the scheme into the pipeline and unlocks funding to determine a Strategic Outline Business Case. Decision to Develop – builds on the Strategic Outline Business Case and authorises work to develop a single viable option and to put together the Outline Business Case. Decision to Design – follows the Outline Business Case and permits technical development to ensure that the desired outputs can be delivered through the option being progressed. Decision to Deliver – passes the project over to Network Rail for delivery. Acceptance – a fifth gateway that sits between Network Rail delivering the project and deploying it. In October 2018, the ORR published its Final Determination for Network Rail for CP6. This totalled £35 billion (£31 billion for England and Wales and £4 billion for Scotland), of which £7.37 billion was for maintenance and £16.6 billion for

renewals. Enhancements were, under the new arrangement, not included. However, the Statement of Funds Available (SoFA) included a further £10.4 billion for enhancements that were already under way. New enhancements would go through the RNEP system.

Decision to deliver When it published its update on schemes that were past the ‘Decision to Initiate’ gateway but hadn’t yet been passed over to Network Rail following a Decision to Deliver, the DfT stated: “The Department is committed to transparent policymaking and this document is intended to be a clear public statement on which schemes are at each decision gateway.” Unfortunately, this was published on 16 October 2019, 19 months after the initial document. Critics in the rail industry complained that this was far too long, that contractors needed sight of the pipeline to ascertain what was coming up and to plan staffing levels and equipment purchases to support them. How well the DfT took those complaints on board can be seen by the fact that, as at 20 October 2021 (over two years later), the second update has still not been published. What has happened in the interim is that Network Rail’s enhancement budget of £10.4 billion has been cut to £9.4 billion, announced by Transport Minister Chris Heaton-Harris in a written answer to the Shadow Transport Secretary in December 2020. This has since been cut again, by another £500 million, revealed in Network Rail’s May 2021 update. So, Network Rail now has only £8.9 billion to deliver work that was originally estimated to cost £10.4 billion. This is the cost of existing programmes that have already passed the ‘Decision to Deliver’ gateway, it must not be confused with the cost of any projects that are still in the DfT’s pipeline. The RNEP update was confidently predicted to be released before parliament’s summer recess. As of today, we are still waiting…

Building Britain’s RailwaysSeptember - Major projects 2021

East Coast main line

Upgrading the East Coast main line Network Rail and its contractors have undertaken a series of projects over the past four years to upgrade the line from London to Scotland along the East Coast of England, culminating in a major first for British railway engineering

London King’s Cross Image: Network Rail

September 2021

Grand Central services to Sunderland use the ECML as far as Northallerton, while its services to Bradford turn off at Doncaster. CrossCountry services from the South West join the ECML at Doncaster and then proceed north to Newcastle and Edinburgh, while TransPennine Express services join at York for the same destinations. As if this wasn’t enough, ScotRail services from Edinburgh to Dunbar use the ECML, so do Thameslink services south of Peterborough and Northern at Doncaster.

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Four major upgrades to the ECML are under way or have just been completed, all aimed at increasing capacity and reliability

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he East Coast main line (ECML) is one of the two main lines from London to the North and Scotland. 393 miles long (632km), it runs from London King’s Cross to Edinburgh Waverley via Stevenage, Peterborough, Grantham, Doncaster, York, Darlington, Durham, Newcastle upon Tyne and Berwick-upon-Tweed. First opened in 1850, the route has been continuously improved over the years to shorten journey times and remove bottlenecks. Today, it is electrified the whole way, is mainly four-track from London to Stoke Tunnel, south of Grantham, and twin-track north of Grantham, although there are exceptions on both sections. The southern end drops to twin-track over Digswell viaduct and through the Welwyn tunnels, and the northern section has fourtrack stretches around Retford, York and Newcastle. With most of the route limited to 125mph, today’s quickest journey times from London to Edinburgh are around four hours and 20 minutes. The line is also fairly full to capacity. Longdistance services use the line – LNER from London to Edinburgh – now joined by First Group’s Lumo service, which launched on 25 October 2021. Hull Trains runs from King’s Cross to Doncaster, after which its trains take the line to Selby and Hull.

So, it’s a busy line. And it could get busier, as the proposed new Northumberland line to Ashington will join the ECML north of Newcastle, between Manors and Cramlington.

Four major upgrades to the ECML are under way or have just been completed, all aimed at increasing capacity and reliability. A new track layout at King’s Cross, a new platform and turnback facility at Stevenage, a revised flat crossing at Newark and a dive-under at Werrington, near Peterborough.

London King’s Cross At King’s Cross, the approach tracks in the station ‘throat’ were complex, with trains frequently being held to allow another to pass in front. Access to the station is through two sets of tunnels, the Gasworks tunnels, nearest to the station itself, and the Copenhagen tunnels a short distance further out. Both are triple-bore tunnels, with each bore capable of carrying two tracks, meaning that there were potentially six access lines into the station. However, for the past 40 years, the approach has consisted of only four tracks in two tunnels, the third being disused. These four lines fed the nine platforms in the main shed (numbered 0 to 8 – Platform 0 was opened in 2010) – and three in the ‘suburban’ shed – 9 to 11.

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East Coast main line

As part of the upgrade, the third bore of Gasworks tunnel would be reopened, although trains would continue to just use two bores through Copenhagen tunnel. The three small East sidings, historically used to temporarily hold locomotives that would be reversed onto the back of incoming trains to pull them back out again on their return trip, would be removed as they were no longer needed in this age of multiple unit trains with a cab at each end. This would allow room for the extra two lines coming through from the third bore of Gasworks tunnel to feed into Platforms 0 to 2. To further simplify the layout, Platform 10 in the suburban shed would be deleted and Platform 11 renumbered as Platform 10. There is less demand for these ‘suburban’ platforms as trains from Peterborough and Cambridge, now part of Thameslink, turn off into the Canal tunnels and run into St Pancras Low Level. Work started in 2019. Over several weekends and bank holidays, 11,000 tonnes of spoil and debris was removed from the eastern bore of Gasworks tunnel and Rhomberg Sersa (UK) installed new slab track through it (track with the rails fastened to a concrete slab rather than sitting on sleepers on ballast). One advantage of slab track is that it remains fixed in place and doesn’t move about on the ballast – essential in tunnels with limited clearance. To minimise disruption, work was staged so that half of the station and at least one tunnel bore were available at all times. Passengers might have to be directed to a different platform, but they could at least still travel.

EAST COAST MAIN LINE Edinburgh Waverley

Dunbar Berwick-upon-Tweed

Morpeth Newcastle Durham

Chester-le-Street

Darlington Northallerton Thirsk York

Doncaster Retford

Grantham

Peterborough

Stevenage

London King’s Cross

Station closure This carefully planned approach came to an end over Christmas and New Year 2020/21. The station closed completely from 25 to 30 December 2020 and ran with reduced access from 31 December to 3 January 2021. The reason for this was the Camden sewer, a brick-built structure that could carry up to 3,200 litres a second and does so right under the approach to King’s Cross. It was only 200mm below ground level, which resulted in a pronounced hump under the tracks and a longstanding 15mph speed restriction. The answer was to replace it with a modern sewer at a deeper level, but to do this a large trench had to be dug right across the station throat, cutting off every single platform from the railway network. It was a tense moment for Network Rail and its contractor Morgan Sindall. Any delay, for whatever reason, and King’s Cross wouldn’t be able to reopen after the New Year holiday.

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WERRINGTON TRACK LAYOUT KEY Fox Covert Road

A15

Existing rail track New rail track Removed track

Lincoln Road

Temporary up Stamford

1 2 3 4 5 6 7

Down Stamford Down GNGE Chord Up GNGE Chord Up Stamford Down ECML Fast Up ECML Fast Up ECML Slow

A15 ECML TO PETERBOROUGH AND LONDON

ECML FROM GRANTHAM

7 6 5 4 3 2 1

Hurn Road Footbridge

Cock Lane Footbridge

Building Britain’s RailwaysSeptember - Major projects 2021

East Coast main line

The job was therefore meticulously planned. The track was removed using a rail-mounted Kirow crane and the overhead line equipment (OLE) for the electrification was wrapped and protected from damage. A total of 44 precast sewer sections would be laid in the excavation that would be made across the tracks, tying in with ones that had already been installed at either end in preparation. Once these were in place, and connected to the Thames Water sewer system, the old sewer could be demolished. To start with, it all went to plan. The station closed, tracks were lifted, the OLE was wrapped in yellow padding to prevent damage from accidental contact with excavators, and the trench was dug. It was at this stage that things got more complicated as Storm Bella arrived early on the morning of 27 December. Excavating and removing 1,000 tonnes of spoil – half by rail and half by road – was rather hampered by nine hours of continuous rain. Particularly when the work involved casting a concrete slab at the bottom of the excavation to support the new sewer sections, difficult under a few inches of water. However, plans were modified, Morgan Sindall and Network Rail worked together to approve them, and work continued. The new sewer was in place by the 28th. The trench was backfilled so that tracks could be laid on top to get the station at least partially open on 31 December as planned. The rest of the track was re-laid and tamped and the station opened fully on time for the morning of 4 January. While the sewer work was under way, the OLE was installed through the third bore of the Gasworks tunnel and the new signalling was installed and commissioned. Now reconnected to the rail network, King’s Cross is operating more efficiently than ever, with six approach lines feeding 11 platforms, from which more than 170 trains a day depart for destinations to the north.

Work then started early in 2019 on a new, 126metre platform, along with two kilometres of track, signalling and overhead line equipment (OLE), that would enable trains from the

Hertford North line (known as the Hertford Loop) to terminate and return towards London without taking up capacity on the busy East Coast main line.

King’s Cross Station - Previous Layout 11

GASWORKS TUNNELS

10 9

New Thameslink Route To/From St Pancras

BELLE ISLE (COPENHAGEN JN)

COPENHAGEN TUNNELS

To/From North London Lines Camden Road Central Junction

8 7 6 5 4 3

No 2

2 No 3 East Sidings

1 0 No 1

King’s Cross Station - Remodelled Layout GASWORKS 10 TUNNELS 9

New Thameslink Route To/From St Pancras

BELLE ISLE (COPENHAGEN JN)

COPENHAGEN TUNNELS

To/From North London Lines Camden Road Central Junction

8 7

Stevenage As part of the East Coast Upgrade, a £1.2 billion programme to upgrade the East Coast main line, an extra track and platform was constructed at Stevenage. Four platforms at Stevenage station had already been extended in 2017, to accommodate LNER’s new Azuma trains that were introduced to the route in 2018. Platforms at Northallerton and Durham were extended at the same time for the same reason.

September 2021

6 5 4 3 2 1 0

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East Coast main line

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Excavating for the new Camden sewer Image: Network Rail

Newark flat crossing One of the last remaining flat crossings on the UK rail network, where two main lines cross each other at grade (the same level), is at Newark, in Nottinghamshire. The Nottingham to Lincoln line crosses the ECML just north of Newark North Gate station. Flat crossings can cause congestion and delays. A long, slow moving freight train on one line can

project was “ The delivered over a year earlier than planned

“

This new platform and ‘turnback’ facility would enable a more frequent service to run between Hertford North and Stevenage, giving passengers on the loop better connections, without impacting capacity on the ECML and the other four platforms. Spencer Group was appointed principal contractor for the £40 million project. Preparatory work involved regrading the cutting slope, requiring the removal of 71,000 tonnes of soil, the installation of new track drainage and modifications to two overbridge structures at Broadhall Bridge and Six Hills Bridge. Installing the new track, complete with its associated turnout from the ECML and the signalling and OLE, included installing lineside cable troughing and undertaking civil and structural engineering activities such as earthworks to embankments, piling, drainage works and structures. The scheme also included the design and construction of a new station entrance. The new platform, which is long enough to take a six-car Class 717 train, includes a passenger lift and stairs to an extended station footbridge, along with two waiting rooms, three sets of seating, a help point and ticket machine and upgraded traincrew facilities. By completing the major milestones over Christmas and in January, Spencer Group minimised disruption to rail commuters and also engaged with the community throughout the project, including site tours for local residents and regular letter drops to keep them updated. Originally planned to complete in 2021, and despite work taking place at the height of the COVID-19 epidemic, the project was delivered over a year earlier than planned and was officially opened on Monday 3 August 2020 by Rail Minister Chris Heaton-Harris.

block the other line for a considerable period, which is made even worse if two trains going in opposite

direction pass each other on the crossing. Most of the other flat crossings have been replaced by grade separations, with one line crossing under or over the other. However, the crossing at Newark is close to the River Trent and, although grade separation has been considered several times, it remains a flat crossing. The Newark junction is therefore unique. It is made up of eight double star crossings that allow the two tracks of each line to cross each other at an angle of 44 degrees. There are no switches at the junction that would allow trains to transfer from one track to another. The tracks that make up the crossing are supported by eight interlinked longitudinal wooden bearers, which were last replaced in 2003. A novel design was adopted, driving the chairscrews into the wooden bearers at a slight angle, thereby hopefully locking the manganese steel castings firmly into place and preventing lateral movement. However, this did not work out. By 2014, the

Laying out the new junction for Newark Image: Network Rail

September 2021

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East Coast main line

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East Coast main line

“

This is the first time that a curved concrete box has been installed using this industry-leading engineering technique in the UK

“

nylon ferrules that formed part of the system had been crushed by the lateral forces, movement had occurred and 45 per cent of the screws had broken. They couldn’t be replaced as the density of the wooden bearers prevented the broken screws from being extracted. The ballast under the crossing had also deteriorated and so the only practical solution was to remove and replace the entire crossing. Progress Rail Services was contracted to replace the crossing, working with Network Rail track designers. The new bearers were not to be wood – a combination of sustainability issues and civil unrest in the country of origin made that impossible. Instead, bearers made from fibrereinforced foamed urethane (FFU) manufactured by Sekisui Chemical was chosen. This material has similar properties to timber, in that it can be drilled and cut. However, it does not rot like timber and has a potential lifespan of up to 50 years. Progress Rail assembled the crossing at its factory in Derbyshire, overseen by Sekisui engineers, and the bearers were then transported to the railhead at Beeston, Nottingham, for shipment to site. Installed over the August Bank Holiday weekend in 2019, the crossing was intentionally left 15mm high as it was expected to settle and would be impossible to lift back up again later. The initial temporary speed restriction of 50mph on the ECML was raised to 80mph two weeks later and then to the regular 100mph linespeed two weeks after that. Linespeed on the Nottingham to Lincoln line is 50mph anyway.

Werrington grade separation Although not a crossover, the junction between the ECML and the Great Northern/Great Eastern joint line to Spalding and Lincoln was another major bottleneck. Freight trains from the East Anglian ports had to join the ECML at Peterborough, travel up the ECML for three miles to Werrington, and then cross back over the main line to access the junction with the GN/GE line.

Constructing a dive-under to take that traffic under the ECML and so avoid delays to passenger and high-speed freight using the main line was approved by Secretary of State Chris Grayling in 2018, in preference to an alternative flyover design. Morgan Sindall was contracted to build it, supported by Mott MacDonald (lead designer) and Tony Gee and Partners (diveunder heavy civils - permanent and temporary works designer). Two ramps would be built to take the new railway, which would pass under the ECML in a curved concrete box (portal). It was naturally impractical to dig up the railway and build the portal in situ as this would close the ECML for months. Instead, the box was constructed at the bottom of the north ramp, to one side of the operational railway. When ready, it would be pushed (jacked) into place. The first task was to slew the two Stamford lines approximately 30 metres to the west, creating the

Boring the guide tunnels at Werrington Image: Network Rail

September 2021

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East Coast main line

space needed to allow construction of the southern dive-under ramp. This was completed early in 2020, with the disruptive element – connecting the new slewed lines into the live ECML – taking place over Christmas 2019. The 940-metre north ramp, which connected to the GN/GE line, was constructed by installing 183 rotary-bored contiguous piles, each 900mm in diameter and 18 metres long, and more than 900 soil nails each eight to 10 metres long. A total of 120,000 cubic metres of soil and clay was excavated to create the ramp. The south ramp, also 940 meters long, required 693 of the 18-metre piles and a further 340 meters of 10-meter sheet piling. As it was built on land that had been cleared by the relocation of the Stamford lines, its construction had no impact on the operational railway. The curved portal of the dive-under was built at the bottom of the north ramp. In total, the structure is 155 metres long, 11.5 metres wide and 7.9 metres high. It has walls one metre thick and weighs just over 11,000 tonnes, which is 1,000 tonnes heavier than the Eiffel Tower! To control its push into position, two guide tunnels were dug by a computer-controlled tunnel boring machine along the route of the push under the final position of the portal. These guide

London King’s Cross Image: Network Rail

tunnels are part of UK company Jacked Structures’ patented approach for the system adopted. A trial push took place in December 2020. The portal was pushed forwarded by 16 metres to allow the structure to be weighed, the centre of gravity to be identified and all equipment to be calibrated and checked. Then, during a nine-day partial closure of the East Coast main line in January 2021, the huge curved concrete jacked portal was pushed into place. First, teams removed three of the ECML tracks, lifted the overhead wires and dug out spoil from the site. While hydraulic jacks at the rear pushed

the portal forwards at just 1.5 metres per hour, excavators at the front broke away the guide tunnels to reveal the glide plates to guide and steer the portal into position. This is the first time that a curved concrete portal has been installed using this industryleading engineering technique in the UK. Since then, the track has been installed through the box and signalling installation and commissioning is under way. The first trains should run through the new dive-under in December 2021, so completing a major series of projects to upgrade the East Coast main line.

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A REAL upgrade Alongside the upgrades to the East Coast main line, a lesser-known project has been taking place to upgrade the traction power supply for all the additional trains

Installing new booms at Essendine, Rutland (and below) Image: Network Rail

here is much discission currently on the need to electrify the railway and run more electrically powered trains and, consequently, fewer diesel-powered ones. The reasons for this are well known – fewer emissions, a cleaner railway, cheaper maintenance, lighter trains, better acceleration away from stations and so on.

September 2021

However, one aspect of all this that must not be forgotten is that electricity is a fuel, and running trains consumes that fuel. With a diesel train it is obvious. If 100 gallons of diesel fuel will take one train from its point of origin to its destination, then running two trains over the same distance will take twice as much fuel. It you run twice as many trains, then you need to supply them with twice as much fuel.

It is the same with electricity. Running twice as many trains on the same route under the same overhead wires takes twice as much electricity. And that power supply is not infinite, it has to be fed into the wires just as fast as the trains are taking it out. So, as trains get more frequent, and longer, and faster, then the demand for traction power increases.

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East Coast main line

There are ways of reducing this increase. Newer trains are more fuel efficient, they are lighter so take less fuel to power them and their motors are more efficient and less power hungry. In addition, braking the train by reversing the motor – turning it into a generator which has resistance and so slows the train – puts power back into the system using a technique known as regenerative braking. These all reduce the demand, but the basic principle still applies. More trains need more power.

Additional capacity

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“

Running twice as many trains on the same route under the same overhead wires takes twice as much electricity

“

The East Coast main line, which runs from London King’s Cross to Edinburgh, is being upgraded to provide more capacity for passengers and freight. It also has new trains – LNER’s Azuma fleet and Hull Trains’ Paragon trains – which will get those passengers to their destination more quickly. Which explains the need for the East Coast Main Line Power Supply Upgrade (ECML PSU). Commencing in 2014, the programme is being delivered in two phases. Phase one covers the route from London (Wood Green) to Doncaster (Bawtry), phase two from Doncaster to Edinburgh. Phase one was completed in 2020, although it was largely functional earlier than that. The extent of the work, and the cost (£237 million) was considerable. The 17 electricity substations along the route became 23. Seven new ones were built, four using air-insulated switchgear at Hitchin, Essendine (near Stamford), Little Barford (near Bedford) and Potters Bar, and three using structuremounted outdoor switchgear at Langley junction and Corey’s Mill (both near Stevenage) and Welwyn. A further 11 existing substations were replaced, five more refurbished, and one decommissioned, at Tallington near Peterborough. To power them, a new feed from the 400kV national grid was built at Essendine, supplementing the existing 132kV connection at Bytham. To manage the system, changes were made to the signalling, Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) and telecommunication installations. All of this work was undertaken by the Rail Electrification Alliance (REAL), made up of the client, Network Rail, along with Siemens Mobility (traction power design, supply, installation and SCADA), J Murphy and Sons (civil works and structures, cable and cable routes), VolkerRail (overhead line equipment and signalling works), TSP Projects (now Systra) and Jacobs (both professional consultancy and design support).

Additional contractors were brought onto the project, such as WJ Project Services, which assisted both new installations and in conducting network and infrastructure testing.

In addition to the new substations and power feeds, new foundations were constructed along the route itself to support overhead line equipment (OLE) structures and more than 600km of cabling was laid. Phase 2 commenced in September 2020, when a £216.2 million contract was awarded to the same Rail Electrification Alliance. This will take the Power Supply Upgrade from Doncaster to Edinburgh and will involve the installation of feeder and substations along the route, capacity upgrades, a new 132kV connection at Hambleton junction and upgrades to existing power supply connections.

Building Britain’s RailwaysSeptember - Major projects 2021

East Coast main line

In total, the work will include: Installation of 27 new traction substations; Installation of 1,000km of new cabling, including feeder cables and telecoms cabling; Construction of supporting foundations and structures for substations and to support overhead line equipment; Introduction of two new Static Frequency Converter compounds at 132kV supply connection points.

Bold decisions The decision to use static frequency converters is an interesting one that should save around £500 million over the course of the project. Instead of having to set up a feeder station from the national grid, at wherever the power is available, and then having to install pylons and cables to take that power to the railway, static frequency convertors sit closer to the railway and ‘plug-in’ to existing power cables. They take the local electricity supply and

amplify, clean, and optimise it, providing the ideal power supply for trains. And they do this without disturbing the local power supply. The REAL Alliance team is currently carrying out enabling works in the Hambleton area in

preparation for the introduction of those static frequency converters. Track circuits are being uprated and new insulated rail joints installed in a programme that is expected to be complete by mid-November ready for major work to be carried out over Christmas 2021.

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Railway Industr y Association

Where are we with CP6? Railway Industry Association (RIA) policy director Kate Jennings considers how the railway is faring as it comes out of the pandemic and finds itself already halfway through the current Network Rail control period

Inside Kilsby tunnel Image: Graeme Bickerdike/Network Rail

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It was the first control period where, although the Office of Rail and Road retained oversight of operations maintenance and renewals, the Department for Transport (DfT) led on enhancements through the Rail Networks Enhancement Pipeline system (RNEP).

next three “The years will be critical

“

etwork Rail’s Control Period 6 (CP6), the five-year planning period which runs between 1 April 2019 and 31 March 2024, is nearing its halfway point. So far, the CP6 story has been one of change, with the rail industry facing significant challenges, particularly due to the pandemic, but responding well to those challenges and showing great resilience. Throughout the first two years of CP6, we have seen significant changes to infrastructure governance, including the continuing Network Rail devolution and Williams-Shapps Plan for Rail. We have also seen an increased recognition that forward plans and clear work pipelines (one of RIA’s recurring key asks) support investment in assets and skills as well as efficient procurement and delivery. Building on this momentum, the next three years will be key. Anticipating the transition to Great British Railways, in particular, it is crucial that a hiatus in decision-making is avoided and that suppliers are consulted throughout to enable to industry to continue deliver efficiently. The beginning of CP6 came with several significant changes.

Further, the devolution of Network Rail into five regions meant that procurement frameworks that had previously been led by Network Rail’s centralised Infrastructure Projects division were now inherited by the regions. And, of course, in 2018, just before CP6 begun, the WilliamsShapps Review process was initiated, the results of which have just been published and which will bring about further significant changes including the eventual transition to Great British Railways. In the midst of these changes, many

suppliers experienced a slow start to CP6, with enhancements and design work running behind where suppliers had anticipated. Then COVID-19 struck. Rail reacted to the challenge – plans were developed for safe working and rail was recognised as an essential service, ensuring key workers got to work. Indeed, in this sense, rail remained strong throughout the pandemic – at one point, in Spring 2020, 25 per cent of all construction work in the UK was taking place in rail.

A new plan for renewals The industry swiftly responded to the fact that there were fewer trains on the network and took the opportunity to deliver renewals efficiently. For example, Kilsby tunnel on the West Coast main line, which normally sees 400 trains a day pass through it, was closed at short notice for two weeks to allow 150 maintenance and repair jobs to be carried out while the few trains still running were diverted via Northampton. Throughout the pandemic, supplier asks were clear – including key issues such as prompt payments and coronavirus working rules.

Building Britain’s RailwaysSeptember - Major projects 2021

Railway Industr y Association

The current situation The Williams-Shapps Plan for Rail also includes several of RIA’s and suppliers’ key asks, such as a 30-year plan, a model which, if implemented thoughtfully, has the potential to allow the rail industry to plan to deliver strategic, long-term outcomes, such as zero carbon, and to increase productivity and efficiencies further. Other positive developments during CP6 so far have been the increased use of collaborative contracting models, such as track alliances, and Network Rail’s Project SPEED, which is a great example of how collaborative, open and honest conversations can work to save cost and time in project delivery. This collaborative approach is something that should be retained and built on throughout and beyond CP6 and is something for which rail should be praised. Yet issues remain, and we need to remain vigilant to them as plans develop. It is worrying that enhancements are still behind, with the budget being reduced from £10.4 billion to £8.9 billion, largely due to money being timed out when projects have not been signed off by the DfT or HM Treasury. The new National Infrastructure and Procurement Pipeline has added some clarity, but RNEP has still not been updated since October 2019, which has led to stop-start decision making and a lack of delegated authority on enhancement projects for Network Rail. This means that opportunities for efficiency between operations maintenance and renewals and enhancement project alignment may be lost. The industry is ready to deliver on electrification, digital, and zero carbon, but longer term funding settlements for strategic programmes are needed in order to realise the full benefits in terms of cost, time, and energy efficiency.

September 2021

The next three years will be critical. Historically, cost pressures tend to increase towards the end of control periods, resulting in cycles of ‘boom and bust’, which creates uncertainty for suppliers, disrupts project delivery, and hinders continued efficiency. Longer frameworks should mean that there is no need for contracts to end and restart with the control period. Project SPEED discussion of thin client, “Project ACE” and “Project 13” collaborative procurement models, building on the success of track alliances and the collaborative approach taken to SPEED pathfinder projects such as the Oakhampton and Northumberland lines, sounds positive. The proof will come as new procurements come to market.

in “Investments rail are clearly worth it

“

Network Rail and government responded to these asks, enabling rail to continue to deliver, with rail not only transporting key workers and resources around the UK, but also keeping the UK economy afloat. Working in partnership, suppliers have supported Network Rail’s delivery of its efficiency targets for the first time in many years. This coronavirus response demonstrates how rail suppliers have a strong capacity to deliver, and this can be built on by providing a clear pipeline of work. RIA therefore welcomes several of the policies published during CP6 so far, including the Procurement Green Paper and the Construction Play Book (which both include commitments to publish procurement pipelines, commit to whole life value approaches and ‘make or buy’ delivery model assessments) and the fact the new Infrastructure Projects Authority pipeline includes a significant number of rail projects.

The collaborative culture which has been fostered over the pandemic needs to remain at the core of rail and infrastructure, operations, maintenance and renewals programme development. It has truly transformed the potential in terms of delivery and value-added from rail. Suppliers are asking to be included in the conversation, and this means sharing future plans, including indicative volumes for CP7 (2024-2029) and holding open consultation and engagement on the Whole Industry Strategic Plan. Crucially, a hiatus in decision-making needs to be avoided, and the rolling programmes of work, such as on electrification and digital signalling, need to start now, with the current Spending Review, which will conclude alongside the Autumn Budget on 27 October 2021.

This critical moment needs to be captured for a number of reasons. As we have already seen, rail can play a key role in rebooting the economy and Building Back Better. This is in line with RIA’s four Gs of rail – Green, Growth, Geography, and Global.

Achieving carbonisation targets Rail will be a key part of decarbonising the economy and reaching the legally binding target of net zero by 2050. Rail also provides tremendous opportunities for growth and employment. A new report by Oxford Economics on the economic contribution of UK rail found that rail produces £43 billion in economic growth, 710,000 jobs, and £14 billion in tax revenue each year. Investments in rail are clearly worth it – the report also found that, for every £1 spent in rail, £2.50 of income is generated in the wider economy. This is in addition to benefits created for passengers, freight, and the environment. The third G is Geography, pertaining to the fact that rail supports levelling up and regional growth and connectivity. Finally, rail presents a global opportunity (the fourth G), with strong export opportunities for UK suppliers. While the first two years of CP6 have included some unexpected challenges and major changes, rail has demonstrated its ability to respond and create value for the greater economy. The next half of the Control Period will be a crucial time for government and regulators to respond to supplier asks for continued clarity and consultation, and clear forward plans. This will lay the grounds for a successful CP7 and the eventual transition towards Great British Railways.

Cleaning a train using a single ‘fogging machine’ at Laira depot, Plymoth Image: GWR

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Industry Spotlight

Why service quality regimes are going to transform rail As the Williams-Shapps Plan for Rail begins to make an impact, Toby Hawkins, a specialist in ‘Software as a Service’ in rail, considers service quality regimes and the changes they will bring

September 2021

Companies will be rewarded for meeting these targets. In a sense, this will turn them into concessions rather than franchise agreements. Providing the best customer experience will be the only opportunity for profit. This is radically different from the old model, which focused more on taking revenue from tickets and managing costs, while also having to adhere to differing commitments within franchise agreements. The advice for any TOC is to start preparing, right now, for the coming change, and be as educated as possible on the details.

Reward not regulation

“

Now that fewer people use the service because they have to, the industry needs to move towards getting people on the train because they want to

“

he rail industry in the UK is on the cusp of massive structural change that has been accelerated by COVID-19. Lockdown has permanently altered demand for the service and the Williams-Shapps report has emphasised the importance of change in order to preserve and grow UK rail. Service quality regimes (SQRs) are the new standard by which all train operating companies (TOCs) will be judged. They are designed to measure the quality of the customer experience and cover every aspect, from station cleanliness to customer service. Key performance indicators and clear targets to hit a certain percentage level of passes will be defined by the Department for Transport. This process will be standardised at a national level, but there will be some variations to take into account the quirks of individual TOCs. Northern Rail, for example, has already used SQRs to measure customer experience, while some companies manage unique assets that will have to be added to their audit process. The intention is to bring in a standard set of expectations right across the railway, to support the aims of the Williams-Shapps report around simplification and passenger experience.

SQRs are not an entirely new thing. In fact, many companies have started to use them internally and Northern Rail has been doing so for several years. What is new is making SQRs one of the primary instruments for awarding profit. The old system fined TOCs for compliance failures, the new system rewards them for meeting targets. A common misunderstanding of the reform is that SQRs are a new type of regulation. Regulation comes in many forms and there is plenty of it, for good reason. But SQR is not a regulation, it is a measurement device for answering whether or not the customer is being served well. What the Williams-Shapps report correctly identifies is that the demand for rail travel is changing in both the short and long term. Even as COVID restrictions have largely been lifted, the virus has had a permanent impact on the rail industry: commuters are no longer going into their workplaces five days a week. Now that fewer people use the service because they have to, the industry needs to move towards getting people on the train because they want to. Leisure travel will be more prevalent, and commuters have far more choice with flexible working patterns. The goal of Williams-Shapps is to make the train more affordable, accessible and simple to use. TOCs are going to have to overhaul their operating systems, because SQRs are ultimately how they are going to make their money.

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Industry Spotlight

Leadership will be key. Senior managers will need to understand and embrace this new way of thinking, as will everyone in the industry. The whole team working together towards the same goal will be the new normal.

New tech for new times

London Waterloo

Operational change It’s no longer about taking ticket revenue and controlling costs in relation to that. It can almost be thought of as commission, because allowable costs will be agreed. It is simply about delivering the best customer experience possible. This is a massive task, but fortunately the process is heavily mandated and leaves little ‘wiggleroom’ or ambiguity about how to implement it. An external auditor can make ‘secret shopper’ style inspections and operators must have a technological solution to manage and gather data on SQRs. It’s almost a ready-made tender, all that is needed is to follow this framework. Everyone in the industry, whether in a senior position or on the ground, must start to think about SQRs. The broad strokes of the system are public knowledge now – they will be used to measure the cleanliness and ‘good repair’ of assets, the ease and comfort of travel, clear communication and customer services. Knowing this, train operators need to start asking questions: Where are they currently on meeting SQRs? How realistic is it going to be to achieve targets? Do they have the right data and tools to measure this? Even if it’s an internal process, and they don’t have a digital solution in place yet, they need to start to gather the right data. The asset register needs to be checked, because it will have to account for everything, from carriages to vending machines outside the station. Without an up-todate asset register, compliance will be more challenging. Small details are going to count – an out-ofdate poster can result in an immediate fail.

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“

Providing the best customer experience will be the only opportunity for profit

“

The rail network will effectively be in public ownership, but TOCs will still have shareholders and will need to turn a profit to maintain viability.

This isn’t about changing the aspiration: everyone in the industry comes into work to do a good job, to make the railway run well. The problem historically has been a lack of tools and a different emphasis on operations, as well as a byzantine structure of discrete responsibilities and systems. The relatively short (in railway time anyway) lengths of franchise meant wholesale change was not practical. The problem of things falling between the cracks is not new. Most railway staff have discovered the challenge of reporting a defect to the right person quickly. After numerous calls, emails or enquiries, the ‘right process’ could still not be clear and staff members will have wasted their time. This experience for well-intentioned employees leads to an understandable ‘in the too hard basket’ attitude around stepping out of their direct responsibilities.

The franchise model has resulted in an accumulation of disparate systems for data gathering and works. This complexity has built up in all parts of the industry and all the way through the supply chain to an extent that is difficult to comprehend. A station manager recently commented on the daily struggle he has with IT solutions. He uses at least four different pieces of software daily and has to use many more, each with a specific function and no scope beyond that. It is easy to see how this happens; over time TOCs have to find single point solutions to solve immediate problems, and these ‘solutions’ build up into a very inefficient patchwork of systems. Simplifying these tech stacks will be a biproduct of the SQ Regime. Data will need to be readily accessible, multi-dimensional and accurate. It should be possible for any employee to report a fault, and for that report to go to the right person who can then fix it. If data is needed, it should be available at the press of a button. A lot of single point solutions are legacy systems that have been used for years and years. People can be averse to change but the focus on SQRs will drive reform by demanding visible data. The closeness of the rail community means word will quickly spread and eyes will be opened to the benefits. It’s not even necessarily about shelving old solutions, but there does need to be software that joins all these systems up – the often talked about holy grail of “the single source of the truth”. Change will happen, it will be challenging and no one will get it completely right all the time. But everyone will appreciate this new singular focus in time. Toby Hawkins is sales director for Mpro5 transport compliance management software from Crimson Tide.

London King’s Cross

Building Britain’s RailwaysSeptember - Major projects 2021

Great British Railways

Great British Railways – the plan ahead Britain’s railway network is set for its biggest shake-up in a generation, with a new public body that will own the infrastructure, receive the fare revenue, run and plan the network and set most fares and timetables

Image: TransPennine Express

Guiding Mind Although the Williams Review didn’t publish its final report until May 2021, a draft was sent to government by the end of 2019. It was then delayed by a combination of a General Election and the purdah that surrounded it, lack of parliamentary time due to Brexit, and the COVID-19 pandemic.

September 2021

Throughout the process, and perhaps unusually for a government inquiry, chairman Keith Williams spoke regularly of his progress and his thought process, so one can see how his recommendations developed.

don’t create a “You customer-focused

“

reat British Railways – GBR for short – is to be the future of railway operations in Great Britain, or at least in England, as the devolved governments in Scotland and Wales may or may not be part of the process. A major recommendation of the Williams Review, which was published as the WilliamsShapps Plan for Rail in May 2021 after a threeyear gestation period (see Inside Track issue 2), Great British Railways will own the infrastructure, receive the fare revenue, run and plan the network and set most fares and timetables. Network Rail, the current infrastructure owner, will be absorbed into this new organisation, as will many functions from the Rail Delivery Group and Department for Transport.

railway by putting engineers in charge

One major speech was in delivered in Bradford on 16 July 2019. Speaking at a Northern Powerhouse event, he said that, as well as measures to improve customer service, major reform to ticketing and fares, and a new commercial model – “What’s absolutely clear is that the current franchising model has had its day” – he was considering a new industry structure, reducing fragmentation, aligning track and train better, creating clear accountability and establishing a greater distance between government and running the day-to-day railway.

“What has come through strongly in our call for evidence,” he said, “is consensus for a more rational and effective way of organising the industry and that organisations at heart of it — including Network Rail, the RDG (Rail Delivery Group), DfT (Department for Transport), the RSSB (Rail Safety and Standards Board) and the ORR (Office of Rail and Road – the rail regulator) — are open to change. “A wide range of organisations have argued in favour of a new arm’s length body or bodies to act as a ‘guiding mind’. “It is an idea we’re looking at closely. In principle, it could have clear merit, working to solve some of the challenges the industry faces around accountability and fragmentation. “Wherever we get to, I’m clear that the railway needs a structure that enhances strategic planning, including at the local level, and facilitates better engagement on specification and delivery of regional enhancements. “Where there is local appetite and capability, the new structure could also provide a clear way for regions or cities to make the case to operate and invest in the railway in future. One thing I am not considering is giving Network Rail control over the trains, as recent reports in the media suggest.

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Great British Railways

“This is no judgement on Network Rail — I’ve been impressed with their professionalism and the direction of their Put Passengers First initiative. But you don’t create a customer-focused railway by putting engineers in charge.”

Plan for Rail That concept of a guiding mind was carried through into the final report and the white paper. In their foreword, Keith Williams and Transport Secretary Grant Shapps MP wrote: “To truly secure rail’s future, there must be radical change. The railways lack a guiding focus on customers, coherent leadership and strategic direction. They are too fragmented, too complicated, and too expensive to run. Innovation is difficult. Incentives are often perverse. Some working practices have not changed in decades. There must be singleminded efforts to get passengers back. In short, we need somebody in charge.” That ‘somebody’ will be Great British Railways – a new public body. This will ‘fix’ all four of the challenges that Keith Williams outlined in Bradford – customer service, ticketing and fares, the commercial model and the need for somebody in charge.

Class 90 electric freight locomotive Image: Freightliner

Great British Railways will be a new organisation, with a new culture and customer focus, “definitely not just a bigger version of Network Rail”. The two authors stressed that, just as with operators, GBR will be incentivised to improve customer service, maintain a safe network and attract new passengers. It will have a completely new role, with specific responsibilities to its

passenger and freight customers and a clear remit to reform the can’t-do culture and inflated costs that exist across the sector. The new body will recruit more broadly than before – including people with experience in sectors with a strong focus on customers. Great British Railways will be accountable to Ministers in a similar way that Transport for London is to the Mayor of London.

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Building Britain’s RailwaysSeptember - Major projects 2021

Great British Railways

TransPennine Express Nova 1 train Image: Tony Miles

“Under this model, the sector will provide fulfilling, high-skilled, flexible and modern career opportunities that attract and support the brightest and the best to flourish, so that the railways’ people also benefit from this new golden era for the railways.” Setting up a new organisation to run the railways – Great British Railways – needs a lot of planning. It also needs expertise from across the entire rail sector, and outside to consider best transport industry practice.

“

Great British Railways will specify the timetables, branding, most fares and other aspects of the service

“

“Great British Railways will secure significant efficiencies,” they continued. “Today’s railways are a maze of agreements between hundreds of different parties, drawn up and policed by battalions of lawyers and consultants, including an entire staff dedicated to arguing about who is at fault for each delayed train. Change is slow and comes by painstaking negotiation. In the new world, that cannot work. Under single national leadership, our railways will be more agile: able to react quicker, spot opportunities, make commonsense choices, and use the kind of operational flexibilities normal in most organisations, but difficult or impossible in the current contractual spider’s web. “A simpler, more integrated structure will cut duplication, increase Great British Railways’ purchasing power and economies of scale, and make it easier and cheaper to plan maintenance, renewals and upgrades. These and other efficiencies will take time to bear fruit, but after five years it is expected that they could be saving around £1.5 billion a year, equivalent to 15 per cent of the network’s pre-pandemic fares income. “Great British Railways will be better able to respond quickly to changing demand and lead the railways through the challenges of the postpandemic world. It seems likely, for instance, that the old pre-9am peaks in demand around our biggest cities will flatten or spread more through the day; and that leisure travel will increase as a share of the whole. Less frequent but longer commutes may become more common. That may mean different service patterns and changing train interiors to focus on comfort rather than capacity. “It will definitely mean a new focus on the escalations in cost, gold-plating and over-specification that have occurred since privatisation. And it will definitely need a change of mindset from everybody at all levels, from Ministers, unions and regulators to traincrew and managers.

As the existing government-owned body, and despite Keith Williams having said that “you don’t create a customer-focused railway by putting engineers in charge”, the logical step was to form the transition team as a subset of Network Rail.

Not re-nationalisation However much it may sound like it, Great British Railways will not be a new nationalised railway similar to British Rail. Keith Williams and Grant Shapps have both stressed that private sector innovation has helped deliver the spectacular growth the railways have seen in the last quarter-century, so they believe that it is essential to keep the best of this and encourage more, particularly in the areas of IT, data and modern payments. In most cases, it is anticipated that Great British Railways will contract with private companies to operate trains to the timetable and fares it specifies, in a way similar to that used by Transport for London (TfL) on its successful Overground and bus networks.

Welsh Class 170 between Chepstow and Gloucester Image: Transport for Wales

September 2021

Andrew Haines, Network Rail’s chief executive, heads the team which is made up of experienced transport consultants and operators. In discussion, it was stressed that this is purely a transition team, established by government to consider interim arrangements for the railway following the Williams-Shapps Plan for Rail and to propose ways in which the railway might change and improve its capabilities and ways of working to deliver early benefits and efficiencies, while helping to ensure a smooth transition from the existing rail system to Great British Railways. None of the transition team members have been offered jobs with GBR going forward, so this is not the ‘board’ of GBR in waiting. It is literally a committee that is proposing the way forward. Proposals have now been made to the Secretary of State. It is expected that some form of Great British Railways will be set up in the Autumn of 2021, then a full transition team will be established in late Spring 2022 with legal powers to work towards government approval in two or three years’ time.

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Great British Railways

GBR transition team Andrew Haines Chief executive of Network Rail Former chief executive of the Civil Aviation Authority

Elaine Seagriff Programme director, strategic planning and whole industry strategic plan Director of transport planning at Jacobs Former head of transport policy and strategy at Transport for London

Michael Clark Programme director, policy and transformation Former interim director of rail reform and head of secretariat, Williams Rail Review at the Department for Transport

Suzanne Donnelly Programme director, rail revenue recovery group Commercial director at London North Eastern Railway Former manager of revenue management and pricing at British Midland

Rufus Boyd Programme director, passenger and freight services Industry expert: support services – transport at Corbett Keeling, Corporate Finance Former global product director, transport advisory at Atkins Former director of transformation at Interfleet Former deputy CEO at Sydney Metro The team is supported by two Network Rail executives:

Anit Chandarana Chief of staff

Operators will compete for the contracts, and competition could well be far greater than for the old franchises, with simpler procurement, lower costs and no one-size-fits-all approach. Freight and open access operators will be supported by national co-ordination and new safeguards. Franchising is to be replaced by Passenger Service Contracts, a new approach that will include strong incentives for operators to run safe, highquality, punctual services, manage costs, attract more passengers and innovate. Where and when it represents value for money and is financially sustainable, operators will have more commercial freedom, particularly on long-distance routes.

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Jeremy Westlake Chief financial officer

The move from franchising, which effectively died with the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, to Passenger Service Contracts will not be a step change. Operators first signed Emergency Measures Agreements during the first coronavirus lockdown as the government took over funding of railway operations to keep the country moving. These morphed into Emergency Measures Recovery Agreements, with tougher performance targets and lower management fees, set at a maximum of 1.5 per cent of the cost base of the franchise before the pandemic began.

National Rail Contracts are the third step in the process. Initially planned to run for two years, depending on a phased agreement with the various train operators, they will act as steppingstones towards the new Passenger Service Contracts. The DfT will retain all revenue risk and substantially all cost risk, but the National Rail Contracts will include incentives to drive revenue growth and the flexibility to ‘switch on’ further revenue growth measures when conditions allow. Finally, operators will sign the new Passenger Service Contracts. Great British Railways will specify the timetables, branding, most fares and other aspects of the service and agree a fee with the passenger service operator to provide the service to this specification. In most contracts, fare revenue will go to Great British Railways, with operators delivering to the specification and managing their costs in doing so. Operators will take cost risk but will need to balance that with service quality, in order to be efficient while also meeting the needs of passengers. Contracts will require operators to meet demanding standards for key passenger priorities such as punctuality, reliability, passenger satisfaction, capacity, staff availability and helpfulness, customer information, vandalism repair, passenger satisfaction, revenue protection and cleanliness. A new toolkit of measures will underpin Passenger Service Contracts, so in future, passenger service operators will benefit when trains are clean and comfortable and passenger satisfaction increases, but they will not be rewarded when trains are in poor condition, are too frequently late or cancelled, skip stops or run with fewer carriages than planned. Although freight is mentioned quite frequently in the Plan for Rail, not many changes are foreseen. Freight is already thought of as a nimble, largely private-sector market and will remain so. It is anticipated that it will benefit from national co-ordination, new safeguards and a rules-based access system that will help it to grow and thrive.

Not-so-Great Britain? How the GBR proposals will affect Scotland and Wales, both of which have devolved governments, is not clear. A Transport Scotland spokesperson commented: “We were not consulted on the final proposals within the white paper on rail and we are currently seeking further clarification from the UK Government in a range of areas. Therefore, it is not yet clear what the full impact of the creation of GBR will be. “What the white paper will not deliver is what the Scottish Government has sought repeatedly, which is the further devolution of rail powers to Scotland.

Building Britain’s RailwaysSeptember - Major projects 2021

Great British Railways

Additional complications Asked whether she saw this as a Great British proposal, or just an English one, she continued: “While the white paper states that Scottish Ministers will retain the ability to exercise devolved powers as before, it is not at all clear how that can happen in the context of reforms which also talk about ‘single national leadership’ and a single ‘Guiding Mind’ at GB level. “The obvious concern is that this will create unnecessary and inefficient complication for Scotland’s railway when the evidence clearly supports a simpler, integrated model for Scotland. “Scottish Ministers continue to believe that a devolved, public sector controlled railway which is integrated and accountable will deliver better and more efficient services for Scotland’s communities and economy. “As part of the Rail Review, Scottish Ministers and officials presented a clear case for the further devolution of rail powers. The white paper on rail, including the proposals for the creation of Great British Railways, will not deliver this.” The Welsh Government has similar reservations. A spokesperson explained: “We had

no meaningful engagement with the DfT prior to the publication of the Williams-Shapps white paper and are still not clear on the development of the detailed proposals now being developed by the GBR transition team. “However, we are clear that any proposals must at the very least respect the current devolution settlement regarding responsibility for passenger services in Wales and will need to work alongside our ambitions for Metros and integrated transport.

“

Contracts will require operators to meet demanding standards for key passenger priorities

“

“On the contrary, there is concern that what is proposed within the white paper may have a detrimental effect on the progress that has been made in achieving greater alignment and integration in the delivery of rail services in Scotland. “We would not accept a position where future arrangements placed Scotland at a disadvantage.”

One of the complications is that Transport for Wales (TfW) runs trains in Wales and the Borders. As a result, some of its services not only run through into England, they originate there too. So, Crewe to Chester and Shrewsbury to Crewe are true ‘English’ services, with other trains running from Welsh towns and cities to Manchester, Liverpool, Birmingham and Cheltenham Spa. ScotRail, on the other hand, is more Scotland-centric. It does have a service to Carlisle and Newcastle, and of course the separate Caledonian Sleeper service runs from Scotland to London, but it isn’t as much a Borders service as that of TfW. Of course, ‘English’ railway companies run on devolved tracks. GWR goes to Swansea, Avanti West Coast to Holyhead and into Scotland. TransPennine Express services reach Glasgow and Edinburgh while LNER gets as far north as Aberdeen and Inverness.

“Our long-term objective continues to be the full devolution of the rail network and a fair funding settlement for rail infrastructure in Wales. However, irrespective of where responsibility rests in the short term, we support the need for close strategic collaboration to ensure infrastructure is delivered to meet passenger needs and our ambitions to encourage a shift towards public transport to support our decarbonisation commitments. “We have welcomed the Welsh Affairs Committee’s recommendation for a Wales Rail Board and consider that this should be established now ahead of the transition to GBR.”

A bright future?

Y M C

In contrast to a lack of clarity among the devolved governments, the authors of the report and the white paper believe that this is an exciting moment for the future of the railways – replacing franchising, achieving a modern passenger experience while integrating the sector through the creation of a guiding mind and greater local and national accountability. “This is a fresh start for the railways. It is time to grasp the opportunities, overcome the challenges of recent years and rebuild public trust in rail.”

Welsh train in England’s Chester station Image: Transport for Wales

September 2021

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CM Y M MY CM Y CY MY CM CMY CY MY K CMY CY K CMY

Four Lines Modernisation

Resignalling London’s sub-surface railway The programme to modernise the four lines of London’s sub-surface railway (Circle, District, Hammersmith & City and Metropolitan) has now been running for 18 years and is not yet complete

Earls Court station Image: Shutterstock

September 2021

When Metronet went under in 2007, Transport for London took over the orders and progressed deliveries. Both train orders ran a little late, but the Victoria line trains – dubbed 2009 Stock by London Underground – were all in service by July 2011. After a couple of early teething troubles caused by software glitches, the Victoria line trains have proved to be exceptionally reliable, travelling on average six times further between failures than the 1967 stock they replaced.

“

When Metronet went under in 2007, Transport for London took over the orders and progressed deliveries

“

lthough London Underground’s Four Lines Modernisation (4LM) programme is currently nearing completion, it actually dates back to August 2003 and has had a couple of false starts along the way. At that time, Metronet, the company responsible for upgrading, replacing and maintaining nine of the 12 lines on the London Underground network, signed a contract worth £3.4 billion with Bombardier Transportation for the supply of 1,738 underground cars and new signalling systems for the Victoria and sub-surface lines, together with ongoing maintenance of the rolling stock. The train order would be made up of 47 eight-car trains to a deep-tube design for the Victoria line and three different lengths of larger train for the sub-surface lines – 40 six-car for the Circle and Hammersmith & City lines, 78 seven-car for the District line and 72 eight-car for the Metropolitan line. Another 40 additional cars were later ordered so the Circle and Hammersmith & City trains could also be seven-car, and one extra eight-car train was ordered for the aborted Croxley Rail Link project.

The sub-surface line trains, now called S Stock, were all identical apart from their length and their interior seating layout.

The S7 trains have longitudinal seating along both sides of each carriage and the S8 cars, used for the Metropolitan line services, have a mix of transverse and longitudinal seating, as well as four wheelchair spaces per train. All trains have wide gangways between them, giving them an open, airy feel. The S Stock trains have also proved to be reliable, reportedly several times more reliable than the earlier A, C and D Stock.

Signalling update As part of the Metronet contract, Bombardier had agreed to update the signalling system. This was subcontracted to Invensys (formerly Westinghouse and now Siemens). The Victoria line was successfully resignalled in July 2012 and now operates 36 trains per hour in both directions. However, the collaboration on the sub-surface lines didn’t go so well. Plans to install the Invensys DTG (Distance To Go) system, similar to that used successfully on the Victoria line, were abandoned in 2008 following the Metronet collapse.

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Four Lines Modernisation

Bombardier then bid to supply the signalling system itself, rather than subcontracting it to Invensys, and was awarded a £364 million contract for its CityFlo system, as already in use on Madrid Metro and in Shenzhen, China. However, the contract didn’t run smoothly. There were disputes about the technical requirements, accusations of London Underground managers asking for features that hadn’t been included in the original tender, and the contract was cancelled by mutual consent in 2013.

CBTC system Test train V1 at Old Dalby

all, 150 major “Inchanges to the

However, with the computer controls sitting on a trestle table, and cables to aerials and sensors held in place with sticky tape, test train ‘V1’ began running at Network Rail’s Old Dalby test track in Leicestershire, known as RIDC Melton. It ran up and down the line, stopping at ‘stations’, opening its doors, closing them again and setting off for the next ‘platform’.

SelTrac software were needed

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With the new trains already going through the Bombardier factory, there would be no chance of installing a new signalling system as a factory fitment. However, London Underground had recently had a good experience installing Thales SelTrac control systems on the Northern and Jubilee lines, so it turned to their manufacturer for a modern CBTC (Communications Based Train Control) system for the sub-surface lines. With the contract for the new signalling came a new name. Out went the cumbersome SubSurface Lines Resignalling Programme and in came 4LM – the 4 Lines Modernisation. Thales had already had the benefit of implementing its SelTrac signalling on the Northern line, which was not without its challenges, and the Jubilee line, which went a lot more smoothly. This third application of the system on London Underground could build on that experience and so the programme got off to a quick start.

ATO tests

The existing software was quickly modified and an S Stock train, brand new off the Bombardier production line and never having turned a wheel in service, was fitted out with aerials and sensors. As the Thales SelTrac system is different from the Bombardier CityFlo, the mountings for its sensors also differ, so the train had to be modified slightly.

These were tests for the ATO (Automatic Train Operation) system that would stop the train at the correct point and open the doors without input from the driver. They would have control of the closing of the doors when it was safe to do so and then launch the train off to the next station.

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September 2021

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Four Lines Modernisation

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SMA 9 Northwick Park

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Notting Hill Gate

SMA 11 South Ealing

SMA 0.5

North Ealing

Ealing Common Acton Town

Hammersmith

Chiswick Park

West Ham

Aldgate East High Street Kensington Mansion House

SMA 5

Kensington (Olympia) West Kensington

Cannon Street Blackfriars

Gloucester Road

Turnham Stamford Ravenscourt Barons Brook Park Green Court

Earl’s Court

Gunnersbury

West Brompton Fulham Broadway

Kew Gardens

Bromleyby-Bow

Aldgate

Shepherd’s Bush Market Goldhawk Road

SMA 10

Mile End

Upton Park

Whitechapel

Wood Lane Ealing Broadway

Stepney Green

East Ham

Plaistow

Bow Road

Ladbroke Grove Latimer Road

Upney

Barking

SM A

Paddington Royal Oak Westbourne Park

Dagenham Heathway

South Kensington

SMA 4 Sloane Victoria St.James’s Square Park

Monument Tower Hill

Temple

Embankment Westminster

Parsons Green

SMA 12

Richmond

Putney Bridge East Putney Southfields Wimbledon Park Wimbledon

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Implementation of the new system is being phased around the network

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Once that was working correctly, with all the bugs out of the system, train V2 was prepared. This had all the equipment mounted as it would be in production – wiring in ducts, electronics locked away in cabinets and external aerials and sensors on properly designed brackets. The software had to be upgraded from that used on the tube lines. Partly this was due to the complexity of the sub-surface railway – four ‘lines’ all running on shared tracks. Some of those tracks are also used by National Rail services, and the trains also run on Network Rail infrastructure at Watford and Harrow, so that also needs software changes. Then the new system also needed to be fitted to engineering trains, so that required more changes. And some changes were just down to the experience of using the system in London for a few years. In all, 150 major changes to the SelTrac software were needed.

This allows the software to calculate the distances between trains and use this information to control acceleration and braking.

Unique ‘tags’ have therefore been fitted to the track, spaced around 25 metres apart, on all of the lines as installation has proceeded. These tags, actually powered-but-passive RFID (radiofrequency identification) tags, are then read by the tag-reader on the train. The software has the ability to compensate for any missing or broken tag, and the system also copes with trains that are not fitted with SelTrac (engineering trains, National Rail trains and so on), using axle counters to plot their progress. Once gathered, the information must be relayed to the control centre and back again.

Infrastructure modifications As well as hanging electronics and sensors on S Stock trains, the railway’s infrastructure needed modification too. The trains need to know exactly where they are at all times and relay this information to the control centre, located at Hammersmith, so it can let the train know where other trains in the area are.

September 2021

Image: Shutterstock

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Four Lines Modernisation

This is done by radio, so radio repeaters have been fitted every couple of hundred metres along the tunnel roofs to make sure the radio waves can go round the corners. This is new – the Northern and Jubilee lines use cables to act as aerials along each tunnel. Using radio repeaters is being adopted as the sub-surface railway is longer (314km) and more complex than the two deep-tube lines. It will also be less prone to damage.

Making progress Due to the complexity and the sheer volume of work to be done, implementation of the new system is being phased around the network. Starting at Hammersmith, the sub-surface network was split into 14 Signalling Migration Areas (SMAs) – actually 15, as SMA1 was then Image: TfL split into two so that a standalone pilot could be deployed on the one line without the complication SMA 4 was due to have been commissioned by Late inservices: 2020, however, it was announced of having toRail interface the next area at Network Principalwith Contractor specialising in the following July 2019 – before COVID further delayed matters that SMAs 10,11 and 12 (from Hammersmith Paddington. The first SMA went live in 2019. Later ON TRACK TO DELIVER CHANGE Design, Construction and Building Works | Permanent Way Works – so the programme is currently about two years to Richmond and Ealing Broadway and from commissionings were delayed due to COVID-19, ON TRACK TO DELIVER CHANGE Network Rail Principal Contractor specialising in the following services: Civils | Reactive Maintenance | Safety Critical Resource Supply ON TRACK TO DELIVER CHANGE behind schedule. On that basis, most of the work Parsons Green to Wimbledon) would no longer but SMA3 (Euston Square to Monument) went Network Rail Principal Contractor specialising in the following services: Design, Construction and Building Works | Permanent Way Works Network Rail and London Underground Training Network Rail Principal Contractor specialising in the following services: form part of the programme butWorks would instead should be complete by the end of 2023, 20 years live early in March 2021 SMA4 Maintenance (Monument to| Safety Design, Construction andCritical Building Works | Permanent Civilsand | Reactive Resource Supply Way Design, Construction and Building Works | Permanent Way Works after the first contract was signed. remainTraining on theirCritical legacyResource signalling systems. Sloane Square) lateNetwork in April. Rail andCivils | Reactive Maintenance | Safety Supply London Underground

ON TRACK TO DELIVER CHANGE

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12:12:48 Building Britain’s RailwaysSeptember -12/06/2020 Major projects 2021

Tr a n s P e n n i n e R o u t e U p g r a d e

Upgrading the railway across the Pennines

The railway from Manchester to Leeds and York is a key route for the North. Network Rail has wanted to upgrade it for some time – now it has almost £1 billion to do so

Dantzic street Image: Network Rail

September 2021

It includes the Transpennine Route Upgrade (TRU), connections with HS2 including a new spur to Liverpool, a completely new high-speed railway between Manchester and Leeds and upgraded lines from Sheffield to Manchester and Selby, Leeds to Hull and Leeds to Newcastle via York.

across “thePeople north rightly expect action, progress and ambition

“

t a time when there is much talk of connecting the country and improving the industrial and financial situation in the North, one of the more important railway routes has to be that across the Pennines, from Manchester to Leeds and, by extension, from Liverpool to York and Hull. There has been much talk of improving this route in recent years, and the ‘project’ has had a number of names, which can make it confusing and hard to understand exactly what is happening. The Transpennine Route Upgrade is a Network Rail project to improve the line from Manchester Victoria to York via Huddersfield and Leeds. It’s a major task – the 76-mile railway serves 23 stations, crosses over or under 285 bridges and viaducts, passes through six miles of tunnels, and crosses over 29 level crossings. Northern Powerhouse Rail is a broader concept that looks at improving rail travel around the whole transpennine corridor.

High Speed 3 (HS3) is one name for the proposed new high-speed line between Manchester and Leeds that forms part of these proposals.

The Great North Rail Project is a Network Rail term for its programme of improvements across the north of England. It includes the Transpennine Route Upgrade, but also a host of other work, large and small, such as the North of England Platform Extension Programme, Macclesfield station lift renewals and improvements to two level crossings. All of these plans come together under Transport for the North, the sub-national transport body that aims to transform travel across the north of England. Formed in April 2018, its board is made up of the region’s 20 Local Transport Authorities (LTAs) and 11 Local Enterprise Partnerships (LEPs).

Funding the upgrade On 23 July 2020, Transport Secretary Grant Shapps announced £589 million “to kickstart work on the Transpennine main line between Leeds, Huddersfield and Manchester”.

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Tr a n s P e n n i xn xe xRxoxux txe U p g r a d e

Eight months later, on May 2021, Grant He also announced the26 establishment of a Shapps made a second announcement. This time new Northern Transport Acceleration Council, he announced an extra £317vital million for the TRU dedicated to accelerating infrastructure and additional funding from the New Stations projects and improving connections between fund for two new stations in Leeds, one at White communities across the North’s towns and cities. Rose, between Morley and Cottingley, and the The Department for Transport (DfT) also other a parkway station at Thorpe Park on the line confirmed the aims of the programme. The most out to York. congested sections of the route are to be doubled The cost thetracks, two stations, £24.2 for from two to offour allowing fast million trains to White Rose and £31.6 million for Thorpe Park, will overtake slower ones and so improving journey be jointly borne by the DfT funding and the West times and reliability. Yorkshire Combined Authority. Most of the line will be electrified, and the

and needs replacing. This will involve installing new signal gantries, lights and cabling as well as new location cabinets, new troughing for the cables and testing and commissioning of the new signals. Similarly, the track and ballast needed upgrading and replacing in some areas, and the whole stretch is to be electrified. An early piece of work was the replacement of the decks of two bridges between Colton Junction and Church Fenton in 2015, in preparation for electrification. Network Rail later published a timetable of the work involved: • December 2019 – Compounds set up along the route • March 2020 – Track replacement to begin • September 2020 – Six weeks of timetable amendments Eight months later, on 26 May 2021, Grant • January – Start replacing Shapps made a second2021 announcement. This time signalling equipment he announced an extra £317 million for the TRU May funding 2021 – from Install line and• additional the overhead New Stations gantries fund for two new stations in Leeds, one at White • between September 2021Cottingley, – Six weeks Rose, Morley and and theof timetable amendments other a parkway station at Thorpe Park on the line out•to York.January 2022 – Wires installed to overhead The costgantries of the two stations, £24.2 million for • Rose October – Scheduled completion White and £31.62022 million for Thorpe Park, will One complication was the derailment of aWest work be jointly borne by the DfT funding and the

In all, the upgrade will include: • Major upgrades to stations at Huddersfield, Deighton, Mirfield, and Ravensthorpe; • Electrifying and doubling the number of tracks from two to four between Huddersfield and Dewsbury; • Replacing stretches of track to support modern carriages and more frequent services; • Installing new signalling systems and improving access to stations. Preliminary works started before 2020. This involved taking surveys, inspecting structures, cutting back vegetation and conducting core sampling to understand the nature of the ground under and around the existing tracks. Track improvements at Queens Road Three specific stretches of the existing railway Image: Network Rail were earmarked for early work – York to Church Fenton, Huddersfield to Westtown near Dewsbury and to Stalybridge. TheManchester DfT statement also confirmed that work

DfT said it has the ambition to go further. Full Delivering thedigital upgrade electrification, signalling, more multiNetwork Rail had planning this upgrade tracking and improvedbeen freight capacity was under for a number of years. For the section consideration as part of an ‘Integrated Raileast Plan’,of Leeds, running through to York, a contract had due to report in December 2020. been awarded in 2014 to an alliance between Network Rail, VolkerRail, Murphy and Siemens. West of Leeds, a contract was placed a couple of Accelerating improvements years later to an alliance between Arup, Network As at the end of September 2021, that Integrated Rail, Amey and BAM Nuttall. These contracts Rail Plan had still not been published. were for the design of infrastructure These improvements that are options under for the route, covering upgrades to civils, track, consideration are aimed at allowing all-electric railway systems and electrification West of Leeds. services between Liverpool, Manchester, Leeds, in place, work could YorkWith andfunding Newcastle, bringing longer andstart morein some locations, although additional permissions frequent trains and creating significantly more werecapacity needed in others. The programme will be local along the line. The improvements delivered in stages, with the first benefits being will also allow more freight to use the route, realised in 2024. replacing thousands of diesel lorry journeys with

was under way to tackle the bottlenecks at either to Church endYork of the route Fenton without which the upgrade’s The five mile of railway potential cannotstretch be fulfilled. Leedsbetween station isChurch being Fenton and Colton Junction – the junction where resignalled and a new platform is being built. In trains from Leeds join the East Coast main line central Manchester, development funding has towards Yorkto– tackle sees over 100 trains each day, been awarded rail congestion. with up to one freight or passenger train“People passing Transport Secretary Grant Shapps said: through every five minutes. This is one of the across the north rightly expect action, progress busiest stretches of railway in the North. and ambition and this government is determined Most of the signalling inasthis outdated to accelerate improvements we area investisbillions to level up the region’s infrastructure.”

electric freight trains.

Yorkshire Combined Authority.

TO BRADFOR D

YORK

EAST COAST MAIN LINE

Ulleskelf Church Fenton

TransPennine Route Upgrade

LEEDS Bramley

Cross Gates

New Pudsey

Cottingley Halifax Hebden Bridge

TO PRE STON

Micklefield South Garforth Milford

Selby Howden

TO HULL

East Garforth Castleford

Woodlesford

Morley

Sowerby Bridge

Normanton Batley

Mytholmroyd

Wakefield Westgate

Wakefield Kirkgate

Dewsbury Mirfield

TO DONCASTER

Ravensthorpe

Brighouse Darton

Deighton HUDDERSFIELD

Slaithwaite MANCHES TER VICT ORI A

Marsden

TO SHEFFIELD

Greenfield

TO LIVERPOOL

September 2021 railbusinessdaily.com

AshtonStalybridge under-Lyne

Mossley

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railbusinessdaily.com Building Britain’s Railways September - Major projects 2021

Tr a n s P e n n i n e R o u t e U p g r a d e

Brumber Hill bridge deck replacement, 2015 Image: VolkerWessels

“

The programme will be delivered in stages, with the first benefits being realised in 2024

“

Network Rail had been planning this upgrade for a number of years. For the section east of Leeds, running through to York, a contract had been awarded in 2014 to an alliance between Network Rail, VolkerRail, Murphy and Siemens. West of Leeds, a contract was placed a couple of years later to an alliance between Arup, Network Rail, Amey and BAM Nuttall. These contracts were for the design of infrastructure options for the route, covering upgrades to civils, track, railway systems and electrification West of Leeds. A number of companies carried out the design work, both at the tender stage and when work was ready to commence. For example, Tony Gee and Partners provided bridge, permanent way, lineside civils and geotechnical design services and was significantly involved in the first blockade with systems engineering design provided by its alliance partners. These designs included: New twin track alignment to allow speed increase from 30mph to 55mph; 2.5km of new track for the majority of the MVM line; Replace span 31 of Dantzic Street underbridge, break out the existing supports of span 38 and cast new cill beams; Reconstruction and widening of Queens

Road underbridge; Replace longitudinal timbers on Bromley Street subway with track slab solution; Waterproofing, ballast wall extension, and associated ancillary works to Oldham Road underbridge.

With funding in place, work could start in some locations, although additional permissions were needed in others. The programme will be delivered in stages, with the first benefits being realised in 2024. In all, the upgrade will include: Major upgrades to stations at Huddersfield, Deighton, Mirfield, and Ravensthorpe; Electrifying and doubling the number of tracks from two to four between Huddersfield and Dewsbury; Replacing stretches of track to support modern carriages and more frequent services; Installing new signalling systems and improving access to stations.

Designer of the portal and tunnel approach structures and portal jacking temporary works for the UK’s first curved box jack at Werrington Grade Separation

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September 2021

rail@tonygee.com

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Tr a n s P e n n i n e R o u t e U p g r a d e

to submit a Transport and Works Order Act application to the Secretary of State for Transport. The planned upgrades between Huddersfield and Westtown (Dewsbury) include: Doubling the number of tracks from two to four; Major upgrades to stations at Huddersfield, Deighton, Mirfield and providing a relocated station at Ravensthorpe; Installing overhead line equipment (OLE) to electrify all four lines; Building a bridge in Ravensthorpe to separate the lines which run to/from Wakefield and those to/from Leeds to help reduce congestion and improve operational efficiency. Dantzic street Image: Network Rail

York to Church Fenton The five-mile stretch of railway between Church Fenton and Colton Junction – the junction where trains from Leeds join the East Coast main line towards York – sees over 100 trains each day, with up to one freight or passenger train passing through every five minutes. This is one of the busiest stretches of railway in the North. Most of the signalling in this area is outdated and needs replacing. This will involve installing new signal gantries, lights and cabling as well as new location cabinets, new troughing for the cables and testing and commissioning of the new signals. Similarly, the track and ballast needed upgrading and replacing in some areas, and the whole stretch is to be electrified. An early piece of work was the replacement of the decks of two bridges between Colton Junction and Church Fenton in 2015, in preparation for electrification. Network Rail later published a timetable of the work involved: Dec 2019 – Compounds set up along the route; Mar 2020 – Track replacement to begin; Sep 2020 – Six weeks of timetable amendments;

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Jan 2021 – Start replacing signalling equipment; May 2021 – Install overhead line gantries; Sep 2021 – Six weeks of timetable amendments; Jan 2022 – Wires installed to overhead gantries; Oct 2022 – Scheduled completion. One complication was the derailment of a work train carrying long lengths of rail to the project. It came off the tracks at Church Fenton on 4 May 2021, damaging the infrastructure including signalling equipment. Network Rail engineers removed the derailed train and effected repairs so the line could reopen the following morning. Continuing with the TRU, 450 yards of track was replaced over the weekend of 3-4 July 2021 and masts and a number of portals for the overhead electrification have now been installed.

“

The five mile stretch of railway between Church Fenton and Colton Junction sees over 100 trains each day, that’s one train every five minutes

“

Preliminary works started before 2020. This involved taking surveys, inspecting structures, cutting back vegetation and conducting core sampling to understand the nature of the ground under and around the existing tracks. Three specific stretches of the existing railway were earmarked for early work – York to Church Fenton, Huddersfield to Westtown near Dewsbury and Manchester to Stalybridge.

West of Leeds In April 2021, Network Rail submitted plans to transform the line between Huddersfield and Westtown (Dewsbury) following two rounds of public and stakeholder consultations. As the improvements on the 13km stretch of the line include building new sections of railway outside of the existing network, Network Rail was required

Before submitting the application, Network Rail carried out extensive public and stakeholder consultation, with nine public events taking place in Autumn 2019. A decision is expected to be made by early 2023. If successful, work will begin on site that year. However, that doesn’t mean that no work has been taking place west of Leeds.

Bridge reconstruction During a 16-day blockade between Saturday 31 July and Sunday 15 August 2021, the TRU West Alliance completely reconstructed railway bridges on Dantzic Street and Queens Road and strengthened and waterproofed Bromley Street and Oldham Road bridges in central Manchester. The steelwork for the new bridge decks at Dantzic Street was fabricated by Taziker at its factories in Horwich and Heywood and then transported to central Manchester for installation. In contrast, the cill units, cill beams, L-walls, wing walls, ballast units, modular abutments, deck slabs and retaining walls for the Queens Road bridge reconstruction were precast concrete, supplied by Banagher and lifted into place by a crane on hire from Baldwin. During the same blockade, more than 3,000 metres of track were upgraded and track remodelled between Manchester Victoria and Stalybridge. In total, 17 new signals were installed and 10 outdated signalling cages upgraded. Lundy replaced them with a new stove pipe signal model used across four different gantries as well as installing two new climbable signal posts and constructing new LOC (location cabinet) staging platforms. There is still much work to do, but for now everything seems online for that 2024 deadline.

Building Britain’s RailwaysSeptember - Major projects 2021

Electrification

Whatever happened to the National Electrification Programme? Launched in 2009 by Labour and expanded by the coalition government in 2012, the national electrification programme can hardly be labelled a success. Lessons have to be learned for the future

Installing electrification equipment, Easter 2016 Image: Network Rail

September 2021

“The Great Western main line is the longest non-electrified intercity route in Britain, of vital national strategic importance to both England and Wales. It also includes heavily used commuter lines into London. Electrification will enable the introduction of a predominantly electric highspeed train fleet.

“

Electrification will enable the introduction of modern electric trains which provide a better service for passengers

“

s the country and the railway both strive to reduce carbon emissions and achieve net zero carbon by 2050, discussion naturally turns to the need for more electrification, more electric trains and fewer diesels. However, formulating plans to electrify the railway is not new. In July 2009, Andrew Adonis, Secretary of State for Transport in the Labour government, published a report on “Britain’s Transport Infrastructure – Rail Electrification”. In it, he wrote: “A modern railway system is vital to preparing Britain for the future. “The government has decided to embark on a major £1.1 billion programme of rail electrification as an integral part of its rail modernisation and carbon reduction strategies. “Work will begin immediately on the electrification of the Great Western main line between London, Reading, Oxford, Newbury, Bristol, Cardiff and Swansea, to be completed within eight years. “In parallel, planning will begin immediately for the electrification of the line between Liverpool and Manchester, to be completed within four years.

“These trains will offer faster journey times, more seats, greater reliability, improved air quality and lower carbon emissions than their diesel equivalents, as well as being cheaper to buy, operate and maintain. “The electrification of the line from Liverpool to Manchester will allow the introduction of a fast electric service with a journey time of around

30 minutes, compared to a fastest journey time of around 45 minutes today. It will also enable operation of electric train services from Manchester Airport and Manchester Piccadilly to Glasgow and Edinburgh along the West Coast main line. “As on Great Western, electrification will enable the introduction of modern electric trains which provide a better service for passengers than the more expensive diesel trains which would otherwise be needed to increase capacity on these key routes.” This was very welcome news to the railway industry, particularly as no other planned enhancement would be cancelled to free up the money for this programme. “As with other rail investments, the cost of electrification will be funded by Network Rail and supported by the government,” the Transport Secretary stated. “Over the medium term, this £1.1 billion investment in electrification will be self-financing, paying for itself through lower train maintenance, leasing and operating costs. This means that this investment can take place without reducing already planned infrastructure enhancement work.”

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Electrification

2010 – coalition government Labour lost the General Election in May 2010, replaced by a Conservative-led coalition government that included the Liberal Democrats. The new government took time to find its feet and to decide whether the cost of large-scale electrification was justified by the benefits. However, it decided that the case was a good one and, in July 2012, it published its High Level Output Specification (HLOS) programme for 2014-2019. This included several additions to the electrification programme. In addition to confirming the programme already under way – electrification between London and Cardiff (Swansea had been dropped from the programme), Manchester to Liverpool and Preston, and across the Pennines – new schemes totalling £4.2 billion were unveiled. These included: The creation of a high-capacity ‘electric spine’ running from Yorkshire and the West Midlands to South Coast ports, allowing more reliable electric trains to cut journey times and boost capacity for passengers and freight. This consisted of an £800 million electrification and upgrade from Sheffield – through Nottingham, Derby and Leicester – to Bedford, completing the full electrification of the Midland main line out of London St Pancras and electrification of the lines from Nuneaton and Bedford to Oxford, Reading, Basingstoke and Southampton.

Rail HLOS electrification by 2019 Legend Electrification already announced New electric spine in HLOS New electrification in HLOS Rail network Selected stations

York Leeds

Blackpool Liverpool

Sheffield

Manchester

Rugeley Trent Valley Walsall

Derby

Nottingham

Nuneaton

Birmingham

Swansea

Selby

Oxford London Cardiff

To reinstate electrification beyond Cardiff to Swansea, completing the full electrification of the Great Western main line out of London Paddington, at a total cost of more than £600 million, and electrifying the Welsh Valley lines, including Ebbw Vale, Maesteg and the Vale of Glamorgan. These will give two-thirds of the Welsh population access to new fleets of electric trains, helping to generate Welsh jobs and growth by slashing journey times and boosting passenger and freight capacity. Announcing the latest additions to the electrification programme, Secretary of State for Transport Justine Greening said: “Previous governments have underinvested in rail. We will not repeat those mistakes. This is a government with a long-term vision for a modern and efficient rail system that supports growth and improves competitiveness.” At this time, the government also confirmed commitments already announced: Electrification of the Great Western main line to Cardiff, Oxford and Newbury; Electrification of the ‘North West Triangle’ (Manchester – Liverpool via Chat Moss, Huyton

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Corby

Coventry

Newbury

Reading Heathrow

Southampton

– Wigan, Manchester – Euston Junction and Blackpool North – Preston); Electrification of the ‘North Transpennine line’ (Manchester Victoria and Guide Bridge – Huddersfield – Leeds – Colton Junction).

Pausing the programme The flagship project was, without doubt, the Great Western programme. When it started to run late and go seriously over budget, it affected the government’s view of not just that programme but electrification as a whole. In June 2015, under a newly elected majority Conservative government, Secretary of State for

Transport Sir Patrick McLoughlin announced that he was ‘pausing’ the Transpennine and Midland main line electrification programmes. Network Rail chairman Sir Peter Hendy reviewed progress and the two projects were ‘unpaused’ in September, although their implementation dates were put back by several years. Two years later, in July 2017, Secretary of State Chris Grayling announced that electrification works between Cardiff and Swansea, on the Midland main line between Kettering, Nottingham and Sheffield, and in the Lake District between Windermere and Oxenholme, were being cancelled outright. This announcement followed one by Rail Minister Paul Maynard late in 2016 that had

Building Britain’s RailwaysSeptember - Major projects 2021

Electrification

again paused, and effectively cancelled: Electrification between Oxford and Didcot Parkway; Electrification of Filton Bank (Bristol Parkway to Bristol Temple Meads); Electrification west of Thingley Junction (Bath Spa to Bristol Temple Meads); Electrification of Thames Valley Branches (Henley & Windsor).

Great Western’s challenges Installing foundations for electrification Image: Network Rail

“

We are absolutely on track to meet every date that we said we would meet, and pretty much bang on cost as well

“

It is very easy to put the blame for the Great Western cost overruns and delays on Network Rail and accuse it of mismanagement. However, even the National Audit Office (NAO), in its report at the end of 2016, didn’t do that. It also gave the Department for Transport (DfT) a fair amount of stick. Commenting that the value for money of the programme needed to be reassessed, and the extent of electrification reconsidered, the NAO stated that, before 2015, the DfT did not plan and manage all the projects which make up the Great Western Route Modernisation industry programme in a sufficiently joined up way. It further commented that the DfT did not produce a business case bringing together all elements of the programme until March 2015, more than two years after ordering the trains and over a year after Network Rail began work to electrify the route. However, Network Rail’s 2014 cost estimate was claimed to have been unrealistic, being too optimistic about the productivity of new technology. It underestimated how many bridges it would need to rebuild or modify and also the time

and therefore costs needed to obtain planning permission and other consents for some works. Failings in Network Rail’s approach to planning and delivering the infrastructure programme further increased costs. So, both the DfT and Network Rail shouldered the blame. It was certainly a complex situation to unravel.

Symptoms and causes There are a number of reasons for the programme going wrong, and thankfully some lessons have been learned from those failings. First of all, at that time, major enhancement budgets were paid for out of Network Rail’s control period budget. Control Period 5 ran from 1 April 2014 until 31 March 2019. The first calculations for the amount required will have started three years before that and been firmed up two years before. Thus, the cost of a project that would come to fruition in 2016/2017 would have been first calculated in 2011 or 2012. This could well have been before the design was finalised. Talking in 2018, as he left Network Rail, chief executive Mark Carne said:

Thames Valley electrification Image: Network Rail

September 2021

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forked collar sockets and conical couplers hold full product Manufactured in our ISO9001 appoved factory, Arthur Flury Electrification

from the cone. consistently verified that the conductor will break before slipping The cone holds the conductor tight and engineering tests have

“Great Western, clearly, was an example of an extremely immaturely planned project. “The problem with it was that the dates that had been indicated and promised meant that people felt the need to go out and start building stuff before we’d even designed it, before we knew what it was we were even building, and so the whole project got into a very bad place. “But we re-based that project in 2015, a year and a half into the control period, and we are absolutely on track to meet every date that we said we would meet, and pretty much bang on cost as well. From what we said in 2015, the team have done a phenomenal job of delivering it, and to hit every single construction milestone, either on the date or early, as Great Western have done in the last three years, is an absolutely staggering achievement because it’s an incredibly tough project.” So, the lesson is, don’t cost a project until the plan is complete and the design finalised. Further study has discovered that a programme costed in the early days of its conception can be as much as 60 per cent out due to optimism of one form or another, whereas one costed after it has been fully designed and planned is usually correct to within a few percentage points.

Arthur Flury are embedded in all of the UK’s electrified routes. the world, forked collar sockets and conical couplers from Holding the OLE securely for more than 50 years around OLE at Taplow, Buckinghamshire Image: Network Rail

It is even worse if work starts before the design is complete. Not only will the costs be inaccurate, but some work may have to be undone and then redone, adding even more to the final bill. Part of the pressure to make an early start – often a too-early start – comes from politicians. Having agreed to pay billions for a rail project, politicians not only want to get the news out there – showing what a great job they are doing – but then want work to start, jobs to be created, people to be employed, so they can bask in the positive press.

A cynic would say that, by the time the project inevitably goes wrong, they have moved on and aren’t there to take the blame they often deserve.

conical couplers Arthur Flury forked collar sockets and

Consequences of an early start Two examples of the pitfalls of starting too early contributed to the difficulties of the Great Western project. The DfT specified that the overhead electrification system had to be capable of

Arthur Flury forked collar sockets and conical couplers Holding the OLE securely for more than 50 years around the world, forked collar sockets and conical couplers from Arthur Flury are embedded in all of the UK’s electrified routes. The cone holds the conductor tight and engineering tests have consistently verified that the conductor will break before slipping from the cone. Manufactured in our ISO9001 appoved factory, Arthur Flury forked collar sockets and conical couplers hold full product acceptance with Network Rail and are included in OLEMI, Series 2 and Series 1 catenary designs. Please contact our Milton Keynes office for further information. Arthur Flury (UK) LTD info@aflury.co.uk aflury.co.uk

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Building Britain’s RailwaysSeptember - Major projects 2021

Electrification

Achievements The overrun and cost escalation of the Great Western electrification project left a bad taste in politicians’ mouths and the national programme suffered, even though a portion of the blame was down to them. To deal with the gaps that would be left in the electrified route from London to Bristol, the DfT

September 2021

Electrification for the Crossrail programme Image: Network Rail

reduced the number of purely electric trains it had on order with Hitachi and increased its order for diesel/electric bi-modes, which can run as electric

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The overrun and cost escalation of the Great Western electrification project left a bad taste in politicians’ mouths

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supporting trains running at 140mph and with two pantographs raised at any one time. Having two pantographs in contact with the overhead wire can cause problems with standing waves set up in the wire. Speed is also a factor, so the overhead line equipment (OLE) was designed to be strong enough for both eventualities. The steel structures that support the wires were thus massive and much more robust than the structures on the East Coast main line, for example, which has trains limited to 125mph. As it happened, the DfT then ordered trains that were limited to 125mph and would run with only one pantograph up. This meant that the OLE structures are therefore overengineered and overpriced, though it could be argued that they are futureproofed for faster running later. To prepare the ground for the overhead structures by piling the foundations, pouring concrete and then erecting the masts themselves, Network Rail ordered a 25-vehicle ‘train’ from Germany in December 2011. Designed to be split into several consists rather than all work as one long train, this cost £35 million and was delivered in 2014. In total, around 16,000 tubular steel piles, between 610mm and 762mm in diameter, would need to be driven five metres deep alongside the railway at a given distance from the track centreline. The manufacturer was a little surprised by this requirement – in Germany the standard is for the piles to be 3.5 metres deep – but it reasoned that UK ground conditions may be different and duly delivered what the customer ordered. Once commissioned, the first job allocated to the new machine was to commence piling by driving piles 10 metres deep. This wasn’t in line with the specification and the machine wasn’t designed for it. In addition, the previously agreed location for the piles coincided with the troughs that carry signalling cables, so the piles would have to be a further one metre from the track centreline, which the machine was also not designed to do. This all resulted in delay, slower cycle times than predicted and added cost – a result of ordering a machine before the project’s design was complete. However, with political pressure being applied to get the job under way, it had to be ordered to hit the start deadline.

trains under the wires but as diesels when there is no overhead supply. This added to the cost of the trains and will also increase the operating and maintenance costs long term. Electrification to Cardiff through the Severn tunnel was completed in June 2020, but trains still have to run to Bristol Temple Meads and Swansea in diesel mode. North West Electrification, which was delivered in five phases, has also had a troubled time. Phase 1, from Manchester to Liverpool, was delivered in December 2013. Phases 2 and 3, from Manchester to Preston via Bolton, opened in February 2019 rather than the originally planned December 2016. Phase 4 – Preston to

Blackpool – opened in May 2018 and Phase 5, from Manchester Victoria to Stalybridge, has not yet been delivered – it was also scheduled for December 2016. Having a major contractor on this project – Carillion – go bust partway through didn’t help. The National Freight Spine, announced by Justine Greening in 2012 and intended to bring electrification to the busy freight route from Southampton, has been abandoned. The Midland main line, which formed part of that spine, is now electrified as far as Kettering with a spur to Corby, and electrification is now proceeding to Market Harborough, but currently no further. How much of this is down to bad planning and bad management? How much to the fact that, after years of almost no electrification work, it was suddenly decided to electrify a large portion of the network all at once, with no skills base or experience to support it? And how much to government interference and micromanagement? Perhaps lessons can be learned from recent experience in Scotland, where the devolved government has successfully implemented a rolling programme of electrification. Whatever the answer, the railway will need to electrify if it is to hit its zero-carbon targets. Let’s hope the mistakes of the 2010s are not repeated in the 2020s and 2030s.

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Electrification

Selling electrification Although it may be obvious that electrifying the railway is a good way to reduce carbon emissions, it is still a concept that needs to be sold to sceptics and the uninitiated

HydroFLEX at Evesham Image: Porterbrook

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In addition, they work either by converting mains electricity into battery-stored chemical energy and then converting it back again, or by using electricity to create hydrogen from water and then using that to power a fuel cell to create electricity again. Both processes are necessarily inefficient. Powering a train directly off mains electricity cuts out the intermediate processes so is both cheaper to do and removes the need to purchase and maintain the extra equipment.

For all its benefits, “questions about the affordability of electrification remain

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ecent innovations in powering railway locomotives and trains are remarkable feats of engineering. Trains powered by hydrogen are running in service on the continent and there are a couple of prototypes and test vehicles on the UK railway. Other vehicles, particularly trams, run on batteries and ‘supercapacitor’ electrical storage devices so they don’t need unsightly overhead wires in the centres of historic cities. However, both technologies currently have their limitations, mainly in terms of range and cost. Though they may be appropriate for light rail use, this does not mean that they can be scaled up to satisfy heavy rail power demands. A good example of this scaling limitation is that rubber bands can power model aircraft, but not real planes. Hydrogen-powered and battery-powered trains are actually electric trains in disguise. All of their running gear is electric, they just use the batteries, or the hydrogen fuel cell which is usually charging a set of batteries anyway, as a means of generating that electric power. Their range is limited to how much charge the batteries will store, or how long the contents of the hydrogen fuel tank will last.

This doesn’t mean that batteries and hydrogen don’t have their uses – they do, particularly on less well-used branch lines and on unelectrified routes.

But they aren’t the solution for long-distance, high-speed (and therefore power-hungry) passenger trains and heavy freight locomotives that need huge horsepower and enormous torque to haul trains weighing thousands of tonnes. There is the danger, however, that the latest technology becomes the fashionable technology, and ‘old hat’ methods which have been around for a century are therefore seen as unworthy of consideration.

Blinded by science? In November and December 2020, House of Commons Transport Committee hearings considered oral evidence for its “Trains fit for the future?” inquiry. Comments made by MPs on the committee included “Hydrogen isn’t quite there yet but we have some brilliant minds working on hydrogen” and “Government got diesel wrong 20 years ago so how can we be certain electrification is the right technology?” This generated a headline in the next day’s Daily Telegraph “Rush to electrify ‘risks new diesel fiasco’.”

Building Britain’s RailwaysSeptember - Major projects 2021

Electrification

For railway engineers, such comments are quite disappointing, as anyone with knowledge of rail traction would consider it obvious that feeding electricity from the grid directly into a train’s motors must always be more efficient than self-powered traction that has associated storage and energy conversion inefficiencies. Yet, should this be obvious to politicians who have much more than rail electrification to consider? Arguably, if industry wants electrification, it must effectively explain to decision makers why electrification is a ‘Good Thing’.

Putting the case for electrification

September 2021

Hydrogen train on test in Austria Image: ÖBB/Marek Knapp

To provide a 2021 equivalent of the Coucher/ Shooter letter, four concerned engineers worked together to produce the “Why Rail Electrification?” report. These were David Shirres, editor of Rail Engineer magazine; Noel Dolphin, head of UK projects for Furrer+Frey; Garry Keenor, Atkins’ group engineer (OLE) and Paul Hooper, Atkins’ technical director. The report also has a foreword produced by Professor Felix Schmid, then chairman of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers’ Railway Division, which described how, as early as 1879, Werner von Siemens had demonstrated that electric trains would transform railway performance by eliminating onboard conversion of chemical energy into tractive power. Felix also stated that he was certain that the report “represents fairly the view of engineers throughout the industry”.

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Feeding electricity from the grid directly into a train’s motors must always be more efficient than self-powered traction

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This is what was done in 2007 when Iain Coucher, Network Rail’s chief executive, and Adrian Shooter, chairman of the Association of Train Operating Companies, sent a three-page letter to the Department for Transport which strongly argued the case for electrification. This included pointing out that using diesel trains as mini-power plants to generate tractive power is inefficient and wasteful. The equivalent, in 2019, was the 68-page rail industry decarbonisation task force report, which reached the anodyne conclusion that rail decarbonisation needs “a balanced and judicious mix of cost-effective electrification, coupled with the deployment of targeted battery and hydrogen technology.” To be fair, there was much useful information in the body of this report. This included the requirement for a 4,250-route-kilometre electrification programme. However, this proposal was not mentioned until page 34. Burying such a key fact deep into the report was probably not unconnected with the statement in an RSSB research project (T1145 – Traction energy options for rail decarbonisation) that the “UK Government has made clear its intention to decarbonise rail where possible and to use innovative solutions rather than relying on full electrification.” In contrast, Network Rail’s interim Traction Decarbonisation Network Strategy (TDNS), published a year later, made it very clear that achieving net zero carbon rail traction required electrification of 86 per cent of the unelectrified network. It has a serious analysis of the business case for electrification and its role in decarbonising the railway. However, only towards the end of its 257 pages did it explain the nature of electric trains. Thus, while much has been written about rail decarbonisation lately, there has been no recent equivalent of the clear concise industry message in the 2007 Coucher/Shooter letter, explaining why electrification delivers its claimed benefits.

The report’s adoption by the Railway Industry Association (RIA) also showed the industry’s support for it. In his preface, RIA’s technical director David Clarke noted how the report complemented RIA’s own work, including its Electrification Cost Challenge Report, and showed that “rail decarbonisation will simply not happen without electrification”. He also stressed that battery and hydrogen trains have an important and complementary role.

RIA also launched the report with a letter to the Secretary of State for Transport, Grant Shapps, which was signed by 17 industry bodies and institutions. The report was well received on social media, though much of this support was from those who already understand the case for rail electrification. In its press release about the report, lead author David Shirres noted that: “The ‘Why Rail Electrification?’ report complements Network Rail’s Traction Decarbonisation Network Strategy by explaining why electrification is both a futureproof technology and a good investment. “If Britain is to decarbonise, transport has to be weaned off petroleum, for which the only zero-carbon alternative is electricity. However, electricity can only be transmitted to fixed locations and then converted into another form of energy for on-board storage. This significantly limits a vehicle’s power and range. “In contrast, electric trains collect electricity on the move from fixed current collection systems and feed it straight into their motors without any energy conversion losses. Hence, they offer efficient, high-powered, net zero carbon traction with large passenger, freight, and operational benefits.” He clearly hoped that this report will be read by decision makers to enable them to understand exactly why rail electrification offers such advantages.

Alternative power sources The report addresses railway decarbonisation in the context of overall UK decarbonisation and so considers future electricity supplies, the hydrogen economy, the limited role of biofuels and synergies with other sectors.

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Electrification

Furthermore, it shows that modal shift is potentially rail’s greatest decarbonisation contribution. It analyses future predicted developments in battery and hydrogen technology and concludes that, while they might change the balance of these traction types, such developments are unlikely to change the scale of electrification required.

Carbon record A particularly noteworthy, and little known, statistic in the report is UK rail’s poor carbon record compared with other railways because of its high percentage use of diesel (for passenger traction, 58 per cent in UK compared with 25 per cent in Europe). Yet, for all its benefits, questions about the affordability of electrification remain. Although the Great Western debacle casts a long shadow, it is to be hoped that the industry can convince decision makers that lessons have been learned. This is shown by recent schemes that have been delivered within budget and recent innovations that deliver genuine cost reductions and promise to deliver more.

LNER Azuma train Image: LNER

The key to cost-effective electrification is the rolling programme of electrification that RIA called for on the back of the report. Another reason for such a programme is that it is needed for an aligned rolling stock strategy. Without such a strategy, significant sums of money are likely to be wasted on the wrong trains. The £13

billion recently spent on 7,000+ new rail vehicles indicate the potential for such wasted costs. The “Why Rail Electrification?” report is a clear, yet comprehensive, one that is likely to become a key reference document for all aspects of rail decarbonisation. It is to be hoped that the report’s authors have made difference!

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Building Britain’s RailwaysSeptember - Major projects 2021

Electrification

Electrification debate heats up Despite some 179 track kilometres of track electrified in 2020-21, doubts remain if the UK will hit Network Rail’s target of a net-zero railway by 2050

Falling behind David Clarke, technical director of the RIA, who authored the Electrification Cost Challenge Report in 2019, said: “New data shows that the UK electrified some 179 track kilometres in 202021, mostly on completing the Midland Main Line Upgrade between Bedford and Corby. “Yet, according to Network Rail’s Decarbonisation Strategy, we need to deliver 13,000 kilometres of electrification by 2050, meaning we need to be electrifying around 400 kilometres a year, more than double the rate we’re currently doing. And what’s more, with no major schemes coming down the line, we can reasonably expect that there will be less work, not more, in the coming year. “The Railway Industry Association has long called for a sustainable, cost-effective programme of electrification, alongside support for battery and hydrogen powered trains, in order to meet the government’s Net-Zero target by 2050 – an approach which was endorsed in the government’s Transport Decarbonisation Plan in July. “At the current rate, we are unlikely to meet that target. Crucially, the industry is also losing expertise and capabilities while schemes are stalled, meaning it will be harder to deliver the considerable amount of work needed if and when new projects are started. We need to get a programme of electrification work under way today, so we can decarbonise the network, bring greater benefits to passengers and freight users, and support the UK economy as we look to ‘Build Back Better’.”

September 2021

A TransPennine Express diesel passes under incomplete electrification structures Image: M Barratt / Shutterstock.com

According to the ORR annual statistics on infrastructure and assets, 6,045km of the mainline railway route is now electrified. This is 37.9 per cent of all route length. Strangely, perhaps due to other changes on the network, this is actually less than one year earlier, when the ORR reported that 38 per cent of the railway was electrified (6,049km).

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We need to get a programme of electrification work under way today, so we can decarbonise the network

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he Rail Industry Association (RIA) has spoken about its belief in the need to expedite electrification – or risk missing the rail industry’s 2050 deadline for decarbonisation. Its call has been echoed by rail union RMT, which described progress as “shameful and embarrassing”. The comments followed the publication of new data from the Office of Rail and Road (ORR), which the RIA said suggested that the sector is simply not moving fast enough. Statistics show that in 2020-21, 179 track kilometres in Great Britain were newly electrified, which the RIA points out is less than half of the 448 kilometres needed each year (should work be paced year-on-year equally) to meet Network Rail’s target of a net-zero railway by 2050.

Rail trade union RMT also studied the ORR statistics and drew comparisons with other countries, with Switzerland’s 100 per cent electrification, as well as in Poland (59 per cent), Germany (55 per cent) and France (53 per cent). RMT general secretary Mick Lynch said: “This news on track electrification is utterly shameful and embarrassing for the UK Government and the country is going backwards with a decrease in overall route electrification. “The UK is trailing far behind our European counterparts, and now comes the embarrassing spectre of rail freight operators withdrawing all their electric locomotives from service due to the government not planning to keep electricity prices at an affordable level.

“If Boris Johnson is serious about climate change and cutting carbon emissions, then he should prove it by pledging the greatest investment in our railways and our essential railway workers ever. “The government’s current path of austerity, job cuts and pitiful investment in our railway will be resisted and challenged with the full might of our union.” Mick Lynch’s comment about freight operators withdrawing electric locomotives was sparked by an announcement by Freightliner, describing the factors leading to it shelving its electric fleet: “As a result of soaring prices in the UK’s wholesale electricity market, the price Network Rail charges us to operate electric train services has increased by more than 210 per cent between September and October. This unprecedented rise in electricity charges has resulted in a sharp increase in the cost of operating electric freight services.” Another union leader, Mick Whelan of ASLEF, reacted to that statement: “It is utterly ridiculous that, a few weeks before COP26, when we will be looking to our politicians to plan for a green future and a sustainable economy to save our planet, environmentally friendly electric locomotives are being replaced by diesel-powered units to haul goods around the country. “We need the government to act now to help businesses – hit hard by soaring prices – and consumers who are already struggling to pay their bills. We need the government to do the right thing for people, the right thing for business, and the right thing for our rail network. Because it is also the right thing for our planet.”

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Scotland

A2I – Improving the line from Aberdeen to Inverness

The Scottish Government first planned to improve rail travel between its two northern cities in 2008. Work started in 2014 and was completed in 2019, with a new station opening one year later and another planned for 2022

Double-tracking at Inverurie Image: Network Rail/Peter Devlin

September 2021

a £1.2 million scheme that increased services from nine to 11 trains per day and reduced journey times by an average of six minutes, was completed by December 2012. Phase 2, a £57 million project to deliver an hourly service between Perth and Inverness, extended to Glasgow or Edinburgh, a further improvement to journey time of an

The new ‘straight loop

is just under a mile long

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berdeen is Scotland’s third-largest city, with a population of around 200,000. Inverness, the 13th largest at 47,000, lies 108 miles to the northwest if one follows the railway line, which cuts across to Elgin then more or less runs along the coast. The railway was primarily single track with some passing loops. A passenger journey took around two hours and 25 minutes, an average of 45mph. This, combined with a service frequency of one train every two hours, did not make taking the train an attractive alternative to road travel. Way back in 2008, the Scottish Government’s Strategic Project Review (STPR) identified four priority transport projects. Three of these were rail projects, one of which was improving the Aberdeen to Inverness railway line. The other two were the Edinburgh Glasgow Improvement Programme (EGIP), which was largely completed by 2018, and improvements to the Highland main line, which runs from Perth to Inverness. Phase one of the Highland line improvements,

additional 10 minutes and more efficient freight operations, was completed in March 2019. The fourth infrastructure project that was

identified by the STPR was the Forth Replacement Crossing, later renamed the Queensferry Crossing. It opened in 2017 and now carries the M90 motorway across the Firth of Forth between Edinburgh and Fife.

Aberdeen to Inverness The project to improve the Aberdeen to Inverness line was approved by Transport Scotland in March 2014, to be delivered in phases with the whole project being complete by 2030. Its long-term goals are: A two-hour journey time (end to end); An hourly service; Enhanced commuter services into each city; New stations at Kintore in Aberdeenshire and Dalcross, next to Inverness airport; Increased opportunities for freight.

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Scotland

Contracts for phase one were let in 2015, with BAM Nuttall being named as Network Rail’s principal contractor for the £170 million project, working in partnership with AECOM, CH2M (now Jacobs), Stobart Rail (now XYZ Rail) and Siemens. This phase of the work would include: Re-doubling of the track between Aberdeen and Inverurie; Signalling enhancements between Nairn and Inverurie; Platform extensions at Insch and Elgin;

The new straight loop is just under a mile long (1.25km). New track was laid on the former goods line, an underbridge was widened, a user-worked crossing altered, and a GSM-R communication mast moved. Two 160-metre platforms were constructed, connected by a footbridge with lifts. The car park now accommodates twice as many cars as it did before – 58 – and the station boasts the usual ticket machines and passenger information systems. The new Forres station opened on 17 October 2017.

Relocation of Forres station;

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The decision was made to close the line for three months in 2018 and another three months in 2019 to complete the work

Extension of the passing loop at Forres; Infrastructure to support the new stations at Kintore and Dalcross.

Phase 1

Second and third years

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At the start of the project, the line was basically single track the whole way apart from one stretch of double track between Insch and Kennethmont, a distance of only five and a half miles. Line speed was a maximum of 75mph. The decision was made to work at the western (Inverness) end of the line first and follow this up with the redoubling of the line at the eastern end, between Aberdeen and Inverurie. Work began with the construction of a new double-track loop at Forres and a new station. The previous station, which was already Forres’ second, was on a sharp curve with a 20mph speed restriction.

Control of the local level crossing, which had to be modified to accommodate the new twin track of the extended loop, was moved to Inverness and the local signal box was demolished. Inverness signalling centre also took over control of the whole line from Inverness as far as Keith signal box. Forres signal box closed, along with Elgin, and tokenless block working was introduced. Axle counters detect the progress of trains. Telecommunications were also upgraded, both to manage the 40 level crossing telephones at user-worked crossings and to support operational and station communications.

The platforms at Elgin are now also 160 metres long, extended from 125 metres during a 10-day blockade in October 2017. Preparatory work had been carried out, and track laid, during earlier disruptive possessions and a 77-hour blockade at the end of May. The loop at Elgin was also extended, from 650 metres to 1.5 miles, and a turnback facility was included.

In 2018, attention turned to the eastern end of the Aberdeen to Inverness line. A 16-mile length of track, from Aberdeen’s city centre tunnels to Inverurie station, was to be redoubled. This had been singled some 50 years earlier, and the single remaining track slewed towards the centre of the trackbed, so it was not just a question of reinstating the second track. Firstly, location cases and other equipment that had sprung up in the intervening years had to be relocated, so as to free up space for the second line. Secondly, some of the earthworks had to be updated as they were no longer considered adequate for a double-track line. Thus, the whole 16-mile corridor had to be virtually rebuilt. As that would be about six months’ work, the decision was made to close the line for three months in 2018 and another three months in 2019 to complete the work.

Platform extension Elgin

New station

Signalling upgrades along the route

Forres

Inverness Airport

Nairn

Inverness

Keith

Aberdeen to Inverurie: Redoubling of track

Relocation of station Huntly

Inverurie

Insch

Platform extension

Kintore

New station

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Dyce

Aberdeen

Building Britain’s RailwaysSeptember - Major projects 2021

Scotland

A modern and accessible station With preparatory work having been completed during the phase one blockades, the new station at Kintore was swiftly finished and opened in October 2020. This new, two-platform station features an accessible footbridge with lifts and a car park with 168 spaces, 24 of which have charging facilities for electric vehicles – the largest such facility in northeast Scotland.

First train at Forres Image: Network Rail

The new station is served by up to 28 ScotRail trains each day, including a half-hourly service at peak times Monday to Saturday, and an hourly service on Sundays. Funded by Transport Scotland, Aberdeenshire Council and Nestrans, the new station reconnects Kintore to rail for the first time since 1964 when the original 1854-built station closed as part of the Beeching cuts.

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With phase one having been so successful, and having delivered a journey time of two hours 12 minutes with a train every hour and a half, there can’t be much still to do

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The 2018 blockade was between Aberdeen and Dyce. The second line was laid but not opened to traffic as the second blockade would be needed to connect it in. In 2019, the blockade lasted from May until August. It was also extended to Huntley, which meant that the platforms at Insch could be lengthened and the signalling system between Inverness and Insch converted to the same tokenless block that had been adopted between Inverness and Keith two years earlier. That still leaves the stretch between Insch and Keith under the control of the old Keith and Huntly signal boxes, a situation that will be ‘corrected’ at some time in the future. Almost 10 miles (16km) of new track was laid to complete the redoubling and the new track from the previous year was tied into the new layout. Two underbridges had to be replaced, two overbridges removed, and several other bridges extended. In addition, the five-span River Don viaduct near Inverurie needed some serious strengthening work. At the end of the 2019 blockade, phase one of the Aberdeen to Inverness improvement was complete. This enabled additional services to run between Elgin and Inverness, with roughly an hourly service now running between these two cities. It also enabled a half-hourly service between Inverurie and Aberdeen, with one service each hour continuing south to Montrose, providing a ‘crossrail’ service through Aberdeen.

Elements of the original station, including heritage benches and salvaged signs, were reincorporated into the new facility.

The new station at Dalcross, close to Inverness airport, is expected to open in December 2022. It will be a two-platform station with an accessible footbridge with lifts and a 64-space car park.

Phase two? With the completion of phase one, what are the plans for phase two? This is intended to deliver an hourly service between Aberdeen and Inverness, with an average journey time of around two hours. The exact scope and timing of the works needed to achieve this is still to be determined and will be dependent on sufficient resources being available to support their delivery. However, with phase one having been so successful, and having delivered a journey time of two hours 12 minutes with a train every hour and a half, there can’t be much still to do. Tying the signalling between Insch and Keith into one of the two modern signalling centres at Aberdeen and Inverness, perhaps lengthening a passing loop or two, may be all that is still required. And will the results be worth the expense? Only time will tell.

Kintore station Image: Transport Scotland

September 2021

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Isle of Wight railway

Remodelling the Island Line The Island Line , the Isle of Wight’s railway, has been closed for 10 months while the line was refurbished and new rolling stock tested. Now it is ready to re-enter service

484003 on Ryde pier Image: James Pilbeam

September 2021

The Isle of Wight Railway opened its singletrack line between Ryde St John’s Road and Shanklin, on the southwest coast of the island, in 1864. This was extended, first in 1866 to Ventor at the southern end of the line, then in 1880 by a new twin-track railway from Ryde St John’s Road, through a new tunnel, to Ryde Esplanade and

The decision was “taken to close the

“

hink of the British main line rail network, and you think of Network Rail. 20,000 miles of track, 40,000 structures, and lines stretching from Cornwall to the North of Scotland. It is all one network and, although most passenger trains are constrained by their routes and timetables, some freight and charter trains can go almost anywhere. But only almost. For there is a part of the national network that is inaccessible to all but the trains that are based there. No freight trains. No special steam-hauled charters. It’s as though it is an island all to itself. And that’s because it is the Island Line. Just eight and a half miles (13.7km) of electrified railway with such a small loading gauge that, in recent years, only redundant deeptube trains have been able to run on it. Yet it is part of the national network and the trains are run by South Western Railway, the First Group/ MTR joint venture that runs the South Western franchise out of its base at London Waterloo. It’s an anomaly.

network for three months

Ryde Pier Head, built at the end of a new pier where the ferries from the mainland could dock. This extension was jointly funded by the London and South Western Railway and the London, Brighton and South Coast Railway.

Other lines were built by other companies, and the Island’s railways became part of Southern with grouping in 1922, and then British Railways upon nationalisation in 1948. By 1966 the Ryde-Newport-Cowes line had closed, along with the extension from Shanklin to Ventnor. Even Ryde Pier Head to Shanklin closed, but this was so the line could be electrified using a third-rail system.

Flood defences The tunnel at Ryde, always prone to flooding, had its trackbed raised to try to prevent it. This reduced the headroom so, rather than new electric trains, 1927-stock ex-London Underground trains were acquired and reclassified as Class 485 (four car) and 486 (three car) sets. They were reconfigured to run on third rail rather than LU’s four-rail system. However, as underground trains, and 60 years old as well, they didn’t cope well with their new seaside environment and fell prone to rust.

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Isle of Wight railway

Cowes Ryde Pier Head Ryde Esplanade Whippingham Wooton

Ryde St Johns Road

Newport Yarmouth

Ningwood

Freshwater

Watchingwell Calbourne & Shalfleet

Ashey

Havenstreet

Smallbrook Junction Helens

Carisbrooke

Brading

Newchurch

Blackwater

Sandown

Merstone

Lake Godshill

Shanklin

Legend: Current Ryde Pier Head to Shanklin line Isle of Wight Steam Railway Sandown to Newport line via Blackwater (proposed for reopening) Disused lines

Wroxall Whitwell

St Lawrence

Planned works During the closure, as part of a £26 million investment in the Island’s railway, five ‘new’ trains would be commissioned, a new passing loop at Brading built and other enhancements. The new passing loop at Brading would allow the running of a 30-minute timetable from May, meaning improved connectivity with cross-Solent sailings. The only two existing passing loops, at Sandown and north of Smallbrook Junction, are positioned so that a half-hourly service is impossible, hence the 20 minute/40 minute timetable, which made ferry connections tricky.

September 2021

Ride quality would be greatly improved with the relaying of sections of the track. Stations would have platform levels raised, to match the new trains, and ticket machines and Wi-Fi installed. Two footbridges, at Skew Bridge and Alresford Road in Shanklin, would be refurbished to bring them up to acceptable standards.

priority is to “Our deliver safe and reliable trains

“

By 1989 they were being replaced by ‘new’ Class 483 trains, former LU tube stock from 1938! This was also a time of change on the infrastructure. Two new stations were opened – Lake station in 1987 and Smallbrook Junction in 1991, where the main line connects with the Isle of Wight Steam Railway, which runs on part of the old Isle of Wight Central Railway line to Newport and Cowes. However, the double track between Sandown and Brading, along with the Brading passing loop, was removed in 1988. The Isle of Wight railway, now branded the Island Line, closed again on 4 January 2021 for a complete overhaul and new trains. Towards the end, the Class 483 trains were becoming unreliable. Service performance was starting to suffer and the infrastructure needed work as well, so the decision was taken to close the network for three months from 4 January until 31 March 2021.

The five new trains, ordered in 2019, are two-car Class 484 sets. These continue the ‘ex-Underground’ theme of the Island Line for the past 55 years, being former District line D78 stock. However, they are larger than the former trains and have been converted by Vivarail to run on third-rail lines with all the necessary main line safety features. Surprisingly, the Ryde tunnel, which had its trackbed raised years before to avoid drainage problems and so reduced the available headroom, was found not to be a gauging issue – the new trains would fit.

Ventnor

However, contractor Dyer & Butler found that gauging would be an issue on two other sections of the line, at Smallbrook Lane and at Rink Road, north of Ryde St Johns Road station. The track was to be lowered at both locations. OSL Rail was appointed principal contractor for the infrastructure works under a design and build contract on 5 November 2020, with a completion date of mid-May. The slight delay was caused by a lack of integrity in the foundations of the station platforms which would therefore need more work than was originally anticipated.

New signals As well as the infrastructure changes, OSL was asked to change the relay-interlocking signalling system to a solid-state system, still not the latest technology, but a system that would be upgradeable for any future changes to the network. One such change was already being discussed – the extension of the line from Shanklin to Newport via Blackwater. Newport is the Island’s county town, and the Isle of Wight council has submitted a proposal to the UK Government, under the ‘Restoring your Railway’ programme, to reinstate the line along the route of the former Sandown to Newport railway, the trackbed of which remains largely intact and is currently used as a walking and cycling route. The estimated cost is around £67 million.

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Isle of Wight railway

Proposers of the scheme did look at using the steam railway’s line for part of this extension, as on the face of it that option would require less new track, but it was found to be impractical.

New rolling stock The first of the Class 484 trains duly arrived on the Island in November 2020. The plan had been to commence testing and the initial service with two trains, the other three coming along later. The first two trains would undergo their faultfree running test programme on the Island as part of commissioning, the other three would undergo theirs on the mainland. However, there were severe problems with the trains’ software. Vivarail managing director Adrian Shooter commented in a press statement: “We have unforeseen difficulties with the software. Although in essence it is no different to the version we have used previously, it needed some changes to enable the train to run on the third rail. “Planning and analysis began over 18 months ago and did not bring any problems to light, but the live tests have uncovered some serious issues.

Image: South Western Railway

“Our priority is to deliver safe and reliable trains, so I have instructed my team to undertake a thorough review rather than try to ‘patch’ the software. Although this is a difficult time, I would like to acknowledge also the help that we have had from our friends in the Railway Family. Bombardier allowed us to use their test track at Derby, Arriva have let us use their depot at Eastleigh and Network Rail could not have been more helpful. “Above all, the support from SWR has been invaluable. Their team of engineers

and project manager have given us help and guidance throughout and it is testament to their professionalism that we still have a robust testing, delivery and training programme in place. We have a team of engineers on the Island already, working with SWR’s depot engineers on unit 484001 to ensure a smooth handover of responsibilities as the rest of the fleet begin to arrive.” Completing the programme wasn’t helped by heavy rain in August, which flooded Ryde St John’s station and washed ballast out from under sleepers in some areas of track.

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Building Britain’s RailwaysSeptember - Major projects 2021

Isle of Wight railway

Eventually, however, the problems were overcome and train operator South Western Railway has confirmed a 1 November 2021 commencement of services. OSL Rail and its subcontractors have completed the infrastructure improvements, which included: Improving ride comfort by trimming, rejointing and adjusting the rails on more than 6.5 miles of railway, as well as installing new sleepers and rail at various locations between Shanklin and Ryde St Johns; Installing new electricity cables, an upgraded power supply and new signalling cables and equipment across the line to provide greater resilience and reliability for years to come;

Upgrading stations with new ticket machines at three locations and Wi-Fi at all stations; Improving accessibility by raising platforms or lowering tracks at five stations to reduce the step between the train and the platform; Transforming the Ryde St Johns depot to accommodate the new Class 484 trains, with a new crane and hi-tech software to maintain the fleet. Announcing the date of the reopening, South Western Railway managing director Claire Mann said: “We are really pleased that the Island Line is

Ryde St Johns Road Image: James Pilbeam

“

The new trains and upgraded infrastructure will give a real boost to the customer experience

“

Constructing a ‘passing loop’ at Brading which allows trains to pass each other and make possible a new regular half-hourly service;

set to reopen on 1 November, providing that a final round of testing allows us to safely introduce our new trains into passenger service.

“It goes without saying that the safety of our customers and colleagues is the absolute priority for us, which is why it’s so important to get these final preparations right. When the Island Line reopens, the new trains and upgraded infrastructure will give a real boost to the customer experience, delivering the modern, punctual and accessible railway that people expect and deserve. “We are sorry that this project has taken longer to deliver than we first hoped, with a series of complications sadly delaying reopening. However, we are confident that the transformed Island Line will be worth wait, and we are so excited to welcome locals and visitors back onboard!”

Brading station Image: South Western Railway

September 2021

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Brighton Main Line

Building Back Better to Brighton As Britain emerges from the COVID-19 pandemic, work to improve the reliability and accessibility of one of the main routes from London to the south coast continues

Visualisation of Gatwick Airport station Image: Network Rail

September 2021

country. “As a key part of the net-contributing South-East economy, the region is vital to overall UK growth and prosperity. “Part of the reason for this high economic contribution is the region’s high levels of employment, with around 90,000 businesses offering more than 800,000 jobs to a welleducated workforce (45 per cent of the working age population is educated to degree level or above,

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The Brighton main line is one of the busiest in the country

“

he Brighton main line, which connects London with Brighton in East Sussex, is one of the busiest in the country. Trains leave both London Victoria and London Bridge stations for Brighton, the two lines coming together at Croydon. Most of these trains are either branded ‘Southern’ or are ‘Thameslink’ trains from Bedford, Cambridge and Peterborough via St Pancras and London Bridge. Gatwick Express trains run from London Victoria to Gatwick Airport, with some of them also extended to Brighton. London Overground uses the Brighton main line for a short distance between New Cross Gate and Norwood Junction, and Great Western Railway runs trains from Gatwick Airport to Redhill, where they turn off onto the North Downs line towards Guildford, Wokingham and Oxford. The Brighton main line is important for both commuters and the economy of south east England. A report in 2019 by the Brighton Main Line Alliance, a group of businesses and organisations that support the aim for government to fully commit to funding strategic investment in the Brighton main line, stated: “With a population of 1.9 million and a contribution of £49.7 billion GVA (gross value added) to the UK economy, the Coast to Capital area is the seventh largest regional economy in the

compared to a national average of 38 per cent). “Businesses in the Coast to Capital region currently benefit from several competitive advantages. As well as an educated workforce, businesses also benefit from the international connectivity provided by Gatwick Airport, the world’s most productive single runway airport. Proximity to London and a mobile population (33 per cent commute over 10km to get to work) also

contribute to the region’s economic success. “However, recent growth has been slower than other parts of the South East, with 16.5 per cent GVA growth since 2010, compared to 19.5 per cent across the South East. Raising GVA per head from £24,900 to £28,000 (South East average) would add around £5.7 billion to the Coast to Capital (and national) economy. There is strong evidence to suggest poor rail infrastructure is suppressing growth in the region and negatively influencing strategic investment decisions from business.” The report goes on to state: “Railways are always complex pieces of infrastructure, but the service in the Coast to Capital region suffers particularly badly from disruption caused by operational, maintenance and renewal issues.”

Early proposals This is nothing new. Back in 2014, Network Rail wrote a report for the Department for Transport that concluded: “The key constraints to unlocking a further increment of capacity on the BML are the flat junctions and the number of fast line platforms at key stations. These constraints are not only limiting capacity on the route but are now a day-to-day part of the reliability challenge of

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Brighton Main Line

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Building Britain’s RailwaysSeptember - Major projects 2021

Brighton Main Line

delivering the existing timetable. “The density of traffic on plain-line sections is also an issue, but this is because of the uneven spacing of services on these sections driven by the complexity of the origin and destination of services plus the flat junctions and platform availability described above. “The most heavily utilised flat junctions, platform faces and plain-line sections are in the inner area of the route i.e. from Stoats Nest Junction (north of Redhill) inwards to London, and it is here that the main focus of effort needs to be in CP6 (2019-2024). These locations are acting as a bottleneck for the whole route. Most of these inner locations are also likely to see increased usage from December 2018, when the Thameslink programme is completed. Future signalling technology advances such as ERTMS are likely to provide marginal capacity benefits on plain line sections but will not remove the key constraints of flat junctions and available fast line platforms.” To overcome these problems, Network Rail made several proposals for work to be carried out at the end of Control Period 5 (2014-2019) and in CP6 (2019-2024). Principal among these was the Croydon Area Remodelling Scheme (CARS), which included an

Clayton tunnel portal Image: Network Rail

expanded and enhanced East Croydon station that would actually be moved a short distance from its current location, remodelling of track in the Selhurst Triangle, reconstruction of Lower Addiscombe Road and the Windmill Bridge, and improvements to Norwood Junction station.

CARS in detail East Croydon station has six platforms, often causing incoming trains to queue outside the station, waiting for a platform to become available. In addition, access to the station for passengers

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September 2021

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Brighton Main Line

is sometimes difficult as the ramps are steep and congested, the small concourse regularly becomes overcrowded and passenger facilities are limited. The proposal therefore is to reconstruct East Croydon station in phases, while trains continue to run, increasing the number of platforms from six to eight, four to serve northbound services and four to serve southbound services. As it is not possible to simply add two additional platforms into the tight railway corridor, which is constrained by high-rise buildings on both sides, the whole station will be moved north by approximately 100 metres and be fully reconstructed. The reconfigured platforms will be accessible by lifts, stairs and escalators. The recently constructed footbridge will be retained and repurposed to form the new gateline into the station. Access to this main entrance will be available from the tram and bus stations, from Caithness Walk and from Cherry Orchard Road. A new northern concourse with an improved entrance will be created, accessible from Lansdowne Road. As well as increasing capacity on the Brighton main line, the station’s reconstruction will include a larger concourse with improved facilities for passengers, new entrances, a much-improved retail offering and better connections with the town centre and other transport links, supporting the ongoing regeneration of Croydon.

THE BRIGHTON MAIN LINE

New Cross Gate

Clapham Jn

East Croydon

South Croydon Purley Oaks Purley Coulsdon South

Earlswood

Merstham Redhill Salfords Horley

Gatwick Airport

Three Bridges Balcombe

Haywards Heath Burgess Hill Hassocks

Wivelsfield

Preston Park

Brighton

Track layout The Selhurst triangle is one of the busiest and most complex parts of the rail network because of the high number of flat junctions and the frequency of trains, which often have to wait at red signals while other trains pass, causing knock-on delay and making it difficult to recover the service when an incident occurs. The proposed solution is to provide ‘grade separation’ of all the key rail junctions in the area. To achieve this, new viaducts, bridges and diveunders will separate the tracks as they cross each other, meaning that trains will no longer have to wait at a signal for others to pass in front. These works are planned to be completed in phases, with new railway constructed offline and lifted into place to reduce disruption to services. It is also proposed to build three additional

London Bridge

Victoria

tracks north of East Croydon station to maximise performance and capacity benefits. In total, updating the Selhurst triangle is planned to involve building six new viaducts, two new diveunders and 40km of new track. Building the three additional tracks, increasing the five lines north of East Croydon to eight, will mean that the Windmill bridge will need to be lengthened to accommodate them. To do this, and minimise the inconvenience to road users, the new bridge will be built offline south of, and next to, the existing structure – the new bridge deck can be slid across the railway without closing the track below. Once in place, the existing bridge will be closed to traffic and pedestrians, with the new bridge

in its temporary location used as a pedestrian and cycle route. Then, once the existing bridge is demolished, the new bridge will be slid into its permanent position.

Current progress Development of the proposals has been affected by the significant uncertainty around future passenger behaviour and demand following the COVID-19 pandemic. As a result, Network Rail is now taking time to consider how the pandemic may affect passenger behaviour and travel patterns in the future, and how any such changes should be reflected in the proposals. Development work is focused Selhurst triangle with Selhurst depot Image: Network Rail

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September 2021

Brighton Main Line

Gatwick Airport Further south, Gatwick Airport station is being remodelled by Costain to improve accessibility and increase capacity. Eight new escalators, five new lifts and four new stairways will be installed to improve accessibility for passengers with reduced mobility, the elderly and those travelling with a pushchair or luggage. Platforms 5 and 6 will be widened to reduce crowding. The rail station concourse will double in size to provide more space and better facilities for passengers, and connections to the airport terminals and passenger wayfinding will be upgraded. Overall, the widened platforms, new escalators, lifts and stairways will allow passengers to board and alight trains more quickly, shortening dwell times, reducing delays and supporting a more reliable service. To date, the structures of Platforms 5 and 6 and all services have been demolished, to be replaced with wider platforms in 2022. The canopy over the

London end of Platforms 3 and 4 has also been demolished, in preparation for the arrival of a new lift and stairway. Foundations for the new station structures, including the new Back of House building and Platforms 5 and 6, have been laid. A tower crane was successfully installed in the small construction site at the back of Platform 7 – this enabled the team to start building the new station concourse – and a site access bridge was

“

The whole station will be moved north by approximately 100 metres

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on a broader benefits case, which includes improved connections and trains serving new destinations, as well as more peak trains, and faster, more reliable services. Work is also focused on how the proposals could be delivered more quickly and at reduced cost. Further along the line, smaller elements of Brighton main line upgrade programme have moved forward to delivery. These include modified signal positions at Clapham Junction to increase capacity, which will come into use in late 2022. Over the recent Arun Valley line blockade, a new crossover was installed at Horsham to provide more operational flexibility between Three Bridges and Horsham. Platform 2 at Littlehaven station was extended using the same access, removing the current issue of increased platform dwell times (and congestion on local roads) caused by 10 and 12-car trains overhanging the crossing. The crossover and extended platform will come into operational use in August 2022.

lifted in across Platforms 3 and 7 to allow work to continue across the platforms throughout 2021 and 2022. Track work has taken place at several sites since 2018, including Clayton tunnel near Hassocks. Track and conductor rail has been replaced, ballast renewed and signal heads renewed. One of the largest pieces of work on the Brighton line upgrade was the nine-day blockade in February 2019. More than 250 engineers worked around the clock at 26 sites to complete the biggest upgrade of the railway between Brighton and Three Bridges in more than 30 years. Over the nine days, Network Rail and its contractors completed extensive drainage works in Balcombe Tunnel, one of the South East’s longest railway tunnels. The Victorian brick culvert drainage system had a build-up of silt and other debris, along with damage to brickwork. This compromised the drainage system and led to flooding, which in turn caused signalling and power supply problems. In addition, Balcombe Tunnel junction was renewed and upgraded by replacing 600 metres of track, improving the layout of the junction and

Platforms at Gatwick Airport station Image: Network Rail

September 2021

replacing switches and crossings. A complete renewal and upgrade of the lineside signalling and power systems between Haywards Heath and Preston Park was also carried out, and extensive work was undertaken at several stations, including platform improvements, deepcleaning, repainting waiting rooms, ticket offices and station buildings, repairing and replacing footbridges, and repairing fencing, as well as tidying up plants and hedgerows. The signalling and track at key junctions on the lines into London Victoria are being replaced as part of the four-year Victoria Resignalling Programme. Work to replace all signalling equipment in the Clapham and Balham areas and on lines into London Victoria is already underway. Upgrades to track and signalling on the lines from Tulse Hill to Peckham Rye and Crystal Palace will follow between 2022 and 2024. Signalling control for the areas will move from Clapham to the Three Bridges Rail Operating Centre as each phase is completed.

February closure Another nine-day closure is planned for 19-27 February 2022. During this blockade, Network Rail will rebuild Copyhold junction (near Haywards Heath) with new track and points and replace track at Burgess Hill. In total, more than 1,000 metres of track will be replaced, along with 7,000 tonnes of ballast and eight sets of points. In addition, Woodside level crossing near Hassocks will be replaced with an underpass. The crossing was recently closed after a number of near-misses and evidence of people running unacceptable risks. The new underpass will provide a safe route under the tracks for people, without the risk of crossing the operational railway. Katie Frost, Sussex route director for Network Rail, explained: “I know it feels like we’re constantly working on the railway, but by concentrating work into week or two-week blocks like this, we’re able to get more work done and reduce the number of weekends we’d have to close the railway. “The alternative would have been up to 20 weekend closures or multiple bank holiday closures over two years, which would be unacceptable to our neighbours, passengers and stakeholders. “The Brighton main line is Sussex’s major railway artery and is used by hundreds of trains a day travelling to destinations across the South of England. By completing the critical work at Hove and planning this next major project, we are protecting the railway for the future and helping the country and the railway build back better from the pandemic.”

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R a i l We l l b e i n g L i v e

Rail Wellbeing Live set for launch Rail Wellbeing Live is a free and virtual event featuring a programme of 75 inspiring sessions and over 100 expert speakers held on 17 and 18 November

Two days of events All the content over the two days will be livestreamed and available for two weeks following the event, but people need to register to access it. The event is free to the rail workforce, which currently stands at about 240,000 people. Mental health and wellbeing are important to rail, with suicides at 1.6 times the national average. Meanwhile, the cost to the industry due to both physical and mental health issues stands at £790 million a year, covering a 3.9 per cent absence rate – this is more than double the private sector average. This year, the Office for National Statistics has said that one in five adults in Britain experienced some form of depression in early 2021, which is more than double the level recorded before the pandemic. Chairman of the Rail Wellbeing Alliance and managing director for Network Rail’s Southern region John Halsall said: “We’re delighted that thousands have already registered, but with 240,000 across the industry, there are so many more people who could benefit from this free event, so I’d encourage everyone across the industry to sign up, if they haven’t already.”

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One in four of us will have a diagnosed mental illness at some point in our lives

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elevision presenter Fearne Cotton and footballer-turned-pundit Paul Merson have joined more than 100 other speakers who will be giving presentations at Rail Wellbeing Live, which runs online from 17 to 18 November 2021. Fearne’s talk will concentrate on finding the best in each day, while Paul will discuss addiction. They join other well-known personalities who are set to take part in the event, including Olympic gold medallist Rebecca Adlington, Mad Girl author Bryony Gordon, SAS: Who Dares Wins star Jason Fox, and Dr Rupy Aujla – the GP behind The Doctor’s Kitchen project. Rail Wellbeing Live is organised by the Rail Wellbeing Alliance, a cross-industry group made up of train operating companies, suppliers and industry bodies. The free two-day event offers everyone in the rail sector the opportunity to come together and connect with industry and high-profile speakers to get inspiration, tips and guidance on how to tackle a range of health and wellbeing issues. New for 2021 will be sessions at 22:00 covering nutrition for shift work and how to reduce fatigue.

Thirty-year-old Rachel Avenell has worked in the Rail Delivery Group communications team for two and a half years. She has suffered from anxiety and obsessive-compulsive disorder for most of her life. She is looking forward to attending this year’s Rail Wellbeing Live. Rachel said: “I have always been very open about my struggles with mental health. I’ve had anxiety and obsessive-compulsive disorder for most of my life, along with periods of other mental illness. “I use my experiences not only to educate others that OCD (Obsessive Compulsive Disorder) isn’t just about being clean or turning a light switch on and off, but to hopefully inspire others to feel safe to discuss their own struggles.

“I fully support Rail Wellbeing Live and think it is even more needed now, as we come out of lockdown and are all adjusting to the ‘new normal’ of working life.”

Coping strategies She added: “One in four of us will have a diagnosed mental illness at some point in our lives and I believe that we all go through periods of mental unwellness, however brief they may be. The most effective coping strategy I have is talking about what I’ve been through and what I go through on a daily basis. “Rail Wellbeing Live is great for introverted people who may not be ready to engage in a conversation about mental health but are either interested or have experienced their own poor mental health and just want to understand a bit more. It’s an opportunity for them to do so, without being in a big crowd of people. There’s such a varied agenda with a mixture of practical sessions, informative sessions and interactive sessions. There really is something for everybody.” Visit www.railwellbeinglive.co.uk for more details and https://bit.ly/RWL2021 to register.

Building Britain’s RailwaysSeptember - Major projects 2021

We s t C o u n t r y

Way out West The railway to Devon and Cornwall – there is only one – was washed away at Dawlish in 2014, severing the route for eight weeks. However, much work has been done in the intervening years to make the route more reliable and to reopen old connections

Dawlish, 2014 Image: Ralph Rayner

September 2021

Even the railway can’t agree – the South Western Railway website includes the apostrophe, the CrossCountry one doesn’t, the GWR website does, and the signs on the station itself don’t. Three lines leave Exeter. One goes north to Barnstaple, another south to Exmouth. But only one keeps going west – down to the south coast at Dawlish, then on to Newton Abbot and Plymouth, over the Royal Albert Bridge into Cornwall, then on to Truro and Penzance.

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A large section of the sea wall at Dawlish disappeared, leaving railway tracks dangling in the air

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evon and Cornwall occupy an area of 3,961 square miles, encompassing more than 700 miles of coastline, 500 square miles of moorland and over 13,500 miles of roads. The two counties are home to around 1.7 million people, are visited by 11 million people each year (pre-COVID) and attract a further 70,000 students. Sometimes called the West Country, though strictly that includes Somerset and Dorset as well, Devon and Cornwall share a police force, but Cornwall has its own fire and rescue service while Devon shares with Somerset. And there is just one railway line in and out of the place. From Taunton, in Somerset, the railway runs southwest past Wellington and into the Whiteball tunnel, emerging close to Red Ball and in Devon. White Ball in Somerset is a large hill of white limestone, through which the 999-metre tunnel was bored between 1842 and 1844. Its neighbour, Red Ball, is a hill of red sandstone just over the border in Devon. The first station in Devon is Tiverton Parkway, actually six miles from Tiverton itself, and then the line then goes on to Exeter St Davids. Is it St David’s or St Davids?

Due to the fact that there is just this one route, residents of Devon and Cornwall are very protective of their railway line. If, for any reason, it should be closed, then Cornwall, and possibly large parts of Devon, would be cut off from the rest of the UK.

Which, of course, is exactly what happened in February 2014. Storms caused high tides and strong waves and a large section of the sea wall at Dawlish disappeared, leaving railway tracks dangling in the air. The eight-week project to rebuild and reopen the railway wasn’t really an enhancement, the subject of this issue of Inside Track. It was emergency repairs, or renewals – the sea wall certainly needed to be renewed!

Holding back the sea Containers were welded together and filled with rocks to make a temporary sea wall. Thousand of tonnes of concrete were pumped in, and West Devon and Cornwall were reconnected to the railway two months later. It was a much-told story at the time. However, despite the excellent engineering that Network Rail and its numerous contractors delivered, it was a temporary fix. The enhancement would be a new sea wall, delivered in two phases. First would be the section to the west of Dawlish station. The new 360-metre wall along Marine Parade was to be 2.5 metres higher than the old one and made from pre-cast concrete panels.

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We s t C o u n t r y

Section two would run for another 415 metres between Coastguards and Colonnade breakwaters. Construction commenced on 1 June 2019. It would stop over the peak summer tourist season and recommence in the autumn, aiming to be complete by spring 2020. Contractor BAM Nuttall started with preparing the foundation for the new wall and, despite having to contend with yet another severe storm, the first if the 100 concrete panels was installed on 9 February 2020.

Urgent repairs Once the panels were in place, and the sea wall was functionally intact to protect the town and the railway, Network Rail could start to improve the area behind the wall, turning it into an elegant promenade. Work on the second phase, the 415 metres to the Colonnade breakwater, began in November 2020. To assist with the piling, BAM Nuttall brought in the ‘Wavewalker’, an innovative eightlegged, self-contained walking jack-up barge. The only one of its kind in Europe, this would be the first time this type of barge had been used on the UK rail network.

Image: Network Rail

It was used to access the sea face of the railway embankment along Marine Parade and help deliver the piling at the sea wall. Able to operate across the high tidal ranges that impact the south Devon coastline, the Wavewalker could operate in conditions that would otherwise restrict the number of hours it was possible to work on the sea wall. BAM Nuttall divisional director Huw Jones

explained: “The jack-up barge allows us to work safely on the foundations of a new sea-wall on a 24-7 basis, regardless of tides. Using the Wavewalker to deliver this phase of work means we can complete the work more cost effectively, allowing us to minimise impact on passengers while significantly reducing the time that this work impacts the local community.”

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Building Britain’s RailwaysSeptember - Major projects 2021

We s t C o u n t r y

Beyond Dawlish It wasn’t just the sea wall at Dawlish that was vulnerable. In the original 2014 storm, about 20,000 tonnes of a cliff face a couple of miles away near Teignmouth had sheared away and slumped about 20 metres onto the toe of the railway, which sits at the bottom of the cliff at this point.

Dawlish beach, June 2021 Image: Network Rail

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The Dawlish project reduced the amount of carbon generated by this process by two-thirds

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The piling barge wasn’t the only innovation introduced at Dawlish. The second section was expected to need around 9,000 tonnes of concrete, so BAM Nuttall chose to use low-carbon concrete supplied by Hanson UK. This makes use of Ground Granulated Blast-furnace Slag (GGBS), a by-product created in the manufacture of steel, to replace a large proportion of the cement, which would otherwise be required to build the structure. Traditional concrete accounts for seven per cent of global carbon emissions worldwide (1.5 per cent in the UK) due to the energy intensive processes required to create cement. By using Hanson’s low carbon ‘Regen GGBS’ concrete, the Dawlish project reduced the amount of carbon generated by this process by two-thirds and saved over 1,130 tonnes of carbon dioxide from entering the atmosphere in comparison to traditional concrete. Work on the second section of wall went well, with piling complete and all 143 concrete wall panels, each weighing around 12 tonnes, installed by August 2021. The curved wave returns were then fitted on top of the wall panels. Work to complete the second section of sea wall, infilling it, adding the walkway, lighting and seating, is expected to be complete by 2023.

With the help of Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue Service, engineers sprayed thousands of litres of water every minute onto the slip to wash away the earth and to encourage the slip to complete its fall to the railway below. A high-pressure water cannon, normally used in Cornwall’s china-clay business, was brought in to continue the process and this proved to be very effective at turning the red earth of the slip into slurry that ran off into the sea.

The railway was cleared, repaired and ready to reopen as soon as the temporary seawall work at Dawlish was complete. Network Rail has drawn up plans to improve resilience along the railway between Parson’s Tunnel and Teignmouth in Devon, a one-mile stretch that is bordered by steep cliffs on one side and the sea on the other. These will see the track realigned to create space to stabilise the hazardous cliffs and protect the railway for future generations. A realigned coastal footpath will also be built, along with a new landward path and accessible footbridge across the railway. The Department for Transport has authorised £37.4 million of funding to extend a rockfall shelter north of Parsons Tunnel between Dawlish and Holcombe. This will play a major role in helping protect trains against falling rocks along this vital stretch of railway.

To Barnstaple

North Tawton (Closed) Sampford Courtenay (Closed) OKEHAMPTON

Copplestone

Bow (Closed)

Crediton Yeoford

Coleford Jn

Okehampton Parkway (Proposed)

To Meldon Quarry

EXETER ST DAVIDS

Dartmoor line National network

September 2021

To Taunton

Newton St Cyres

Exeter St Thomas

St James’ Park Exeter Central

To Yeovil To Exmouth

To Plymouth

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We s t C o u n t r y

Parson’s Tunnel was previously extended 100 years ago, and Network Rail proposes to extend that further by providing a rockfall shelter in modern materials, but with open sides rather than the previous brick built enclosed tunnel extension. It will be constructed out of 6.2-metre-long precast concrete wall panels and beams on the roof, covered by a cushioning material to absorb the impact of any rockfalls as well as promoting vegetation growth. This design will also make the shelter easier to build in this hard-to-access location and ensure that the appearance of the new structure is appropriate to its setting.

Cornish track and a new sign Two major projects have been under way to improve the quality of track in Cornwall. Nine separate projects took place between 15 and 23 February in 2020, between Truro and Penzance and between St Erth and St Ives. Two and a half miles of track were replaced, using 3,900 tonnes of ballast and 1,134 sleepers. In addition, on the St Ives branch line, the Causeway Bridge near Lelant Saltings was replaced as it had reached the end of its lifespan.

The completed sea wall at Dawlish Image: Network Rail

The following December, a team of engineers, with the help of six Network Rail engineering trains, replaced track and ballast between Penzance and Truro and on the St Ives Bay line. During this time over half a mile of new track, sleepers and ballast were installed, around a mile of rail and sleepers were repaired and 15 signalling and communications cabinets were replaced. The

work was completed at 05:00 on 11 December 2020. Then, between Sunday 3 January until Monday 8 February 2021, track was renewed on the St Ives Bay line between Carbis Bay and St Ives. Around 1.5 miles of new track, 3,600 new sleepers and over 400 tonnes of new ballast were installed in a £3 million project – the biggest track upgrade in the county for more than 60 years.

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Building Britain’s RailwaysSeptember - Major projects 2021

We s t C o u n t r y

Prime Minister Boris Johnson visited Carbis Bay station in June 2021, while he was in Cornwall for the G7 summit. Accompanied by Network Rail chairman Sir Peter Hendy, he unveiled the new station sign opposite the station platform. The border of the sign is made from re-used railway sleepers with the letters made from granite stone and infilled with seashells, in homage to design of the original station sign. The remaining space is filled with a series of plants, adding some additional colour to the sign.

The original sign was constructed out of seashells but is believed to have been removed during World War Two. Following the war, the sign was rebuilt from white cobbles in the 1950s. Sir Peter Hendy said: “Before the war, and again in the 1950s and 60s, this unique sign welcomed local people and holidaymakers to Carbis Bay. I’m pleased that as part of our large investment in the future of the St Ives Bay railway we’ve been able to recreate it for everybody. “I hope it’ll remain for generations to come and remind passengers of this lovely and memorable seaside place, as we welcome people back to the railway.” Prime Minister Boris Johnson added: “It’s great to be back in my ancestral homeland of Cornwall this week to host the G7 Summit. The eyes of the world will be on Carbis Bay this weekend and I can think of no better way to mark this auspicious event than this fantastic homage to local history.”

Prime Minister Boris Johnson (right) joins Network Rail chairman Sir Peter Hendy (centre) and project manager Adam Cooper Watson at Carbis Bay Image: Network Rail

“

The biggest track upgrade in the county for more than 60 years

“

Look for the sign

In another project with heritage, the Dartmoor line between Okehampton and Exeter is reopening on 20 November 2021, ahead of the originally set schedule. The line, which was last open in 1972, is the first to be brought back to life as part of the UK Government’s Restoring Your Railway scheme — set up to return old lines into service.

The route will connect Exeter St David’s, Crediton and Okehampton. Around half of services, including at peak times, will also carry on to Exeter Central. The hope is that the reopening of the route will boost local businesses and the tourism sector and will also provide greater access to education and work for local people.

Successfully completed The reopening has been executed successfully nine months after funding was allocated. Works included laying 11 miles of new track and installing 24,000 concrete sleepers and 29,000 tonnes of ballast in just four weeks – a record time. Repairs have also been made to 21 structures along the route including four bridges.

Laying track on the Dartmoor line Image: Network Rail

September 2021

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We s t C o u n t r y

Dartmoor line Image: Network Rail

The Dartmoor line stretches for 14 miles from Okehampton to Coleford junction, where it joins the existing Tarka line (North Devon line) between Exeter and Barnstaple. Strictly speaking, Coleford is no longer a junction. The former twin-track railway, and its junction at Coleford, has been replaced. The Tarka line is now a single-track railway running on one of the former twin tracks, while the Dartmoor line runs parallel to it along the

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line of the second track before curving off towards Okehampton, with no actual ‘junction’ necessary. Looking forward, campaigners are also pressing for the reopening of the former London and South Western Railway line from Exeter to Plymouth via Okehampton. The Dartmoor line forms part of that route, as does the existing but disused freight connection to Meldon quarry – a further three miles. The next 20 miles to Bere

Alston, where it joins the Tamar line between Plymouth and Gunnislake in Cornwall, has been lifted, but the spectacular viaducts remain, four of them used by the Granite Way footpath. Reopening this route, supporters claim, would provide an alternative route to Cornwall if the former Great Western Railway, which runs through Dawlish and is sandwiched between the sea and high cliffs, should ever have further problems.

Building Britain’s RailwaysSeptember - Major projects 2021

Southeastern Railways

End of the line In October, Southeastern services were taken into government control following the results of an investigation by the Department for Transport

Southeastern trains at London Cannon Street Image: Southeastern

September 2021

The DfT statement continued: “On the basis of the available evidence, we consider this to be a significant breach of the good faith obligation within the franchise agreement and will not be extending a further contract to LSER. The government believes it is essential that there is public trust in operators, who should prioritise the very best for passengers.

“

There is clear, compelling and serious evidence that LSER have breached the trust that is absolutely fundamental to the success of our railways

“

outheastern services are now being run by the government’s Operator of Last Resort, after the Department for Transport (DfT) took over running services operated by the company from 17 October 2021. The government stated this was “after a serious breach of the franchise agreement’s ‘good faith’ obligation in relation to financial matters was identified”. Transport Secretary Grant Shapps revealed that an investigation conducted by the Department for Transport had identified evidence that, since October 2014, LSER (London & South Eastern Railway – the company that operated Southeastern services) had not declared over £25 million of historic taxpayer funding which should have been returned. The DfT has now confirmed that, to date, £25 million has been recovered and further investigations are being conducted by the owning group into all related historic contract issues with LSER. Following these investigations, the government said that it would consider further options for enforcement action, including statutory financial penalties under the Railways Act 1993.

“Given the government’s commitment to protecting taxpayers’ interests, this decision makes clear we will hold private sector operators to the highest standards, and take swift, effective and meaningful action against those who fall short. “Passengers can also be reassured that there will be no changes to fares, tickets or services.”

Transport Secretary Grant Shapps stated: “There is clear, compelling and serious evidence that LSER have breached the trust that is absolutely fundamental to the success of our railways. When trust is broken, we will act decisively. “The decision to take control of services makes unequivocally clear that we will not accept anything less from the private sector than a total commitment to their passengers and absolute transparency with taxpayer support. “Under the new operator, we will prioritise the punctual, reliable services passengers deserve, rebuild trust in this network, and the delivery of the reforms set out in our Plan for Rail – to build a modern railway that meets the needs of a nation.” The choice of date – 17 October 2021 – marked the end of LSER’s current direct-award contract with the DfT. The company had hoped for this to be renewed, but instead operation passed to the government’s in-house Operator of Last Resort (OLR) run by Robin Gisby, which already owns and oversees London North Eastern Railway and Northern. A Southeastern spokesman commented: “We can confirm that today the Secretary of State has announced that the operation of all Southeastern services will transfer from London South Eastern Railway to SE Trains Limited on 17 October 2021.

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Southeastern Railways

In a move that had already been planned, Steve White, the former deputy chief executive of GTR Thameslink, took over as managing director just one week before the move into public ownership. “Southeastern is a well-regarded railway with a proud history and a bright future,” he said.

“

Business as usual

This decision doesn’t affect the day-to-day operations of our train services

“

“SE Trains Limited is a wholly owned subsidiary of DfT OLR Holdings Limited (DOHL), the public sector owning group with responsibility for LNER and Northern Trains Limited. It was established by the Department for Transport under Section 30 of the Railways Act 1993 to continue to provide rail services if a franchise comes to an end and is not immediately replaced. “The decision will have no impact on passengers or the frontline staff of LSER. All Southeastern passengers and suppliers can expect operations to continue as usual.”

Robin Gisby, chairman of SE Trains, added: “This decision doesn’t affect the day-to-day operations “Our immediate priorities are to ensure a smooth of our train services, and we will continue to transition to our new owners and a relentless focus work hard to provide passengers with a great on winning back our customers.” Following the successful transition to DOHL, experience. I’d like to reassure all passengers that this is very much ‘business as usual’ with no he added: “You can expect to see more of the striking new trains on our network, investment in immediate changes. our fleet and stations, “We’re committed to ensuring a smooth SwitchPoint Heating Ltd flexible ticketing and new to ensure journeys are as comfortable transition for passengers, colleagues and our technology Industrihuset 64 HÄLLINGSJÖ, SWEDEN and convenient as possible. suppliers to continue to deliver punctual, S-430 reliable Phone:“Our + 46customers (0)301-418deserve 50 punctual, reliable and and safe services.” Mail: info@vkts.se www.switchpointheating.se

sustainable services – and we will continue to develop our timetable to ensure we’re meeting our customers’ needs.” The Transport Secretary has tasked the leadership of SE Trains to focus on the delivery of punctual and reliable services, on an affordable and sustainable railway, by rapidly progressing the reforms established by the Williams-Shapps Plan for Rail. The government says that it will also continue to deliver tangible improvements across the network, including: Completing the rollout of the Class 707 trains onto Metro routes to provide more spacious, comfortable journeys; Investing in passenger improvements on the existing fleet of trains; Improved security across the network. The DfT has confirmed that it intends to move the services back into the private sector on a new Passenger Services Contract, allowing private sector investment and innovation to lead the way in delivering a regional railway that works for its passengers.

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Building Britain’s RailwaysSeptember - Major projects 2021

HS2

Procurement process? Or legal process?

The procurement of HS2’s new fleet of trains has turned into a legal battle before the recipient of the contract has even been officially announced

Talgo’s HS2 contender

erman train-maker Siemens has launched a legal challenge to HS2 awarding its rolling stock contract to a joint venture of Hitachi Rail and Bombardier Transportation (now Alstom), according to a report in The Times. The report claims that HS2 Ltd, which is building Britain’s new high-speed railway, will face a hearing next month at which Siemens Mobility will seek an injunction preventing the company and Transport Secretary Grant Shapps from signing a contract with a joint venture of

Hitachi Rail and Bombardier Transportation (since acquired by Alstom) for the supply of trains for the new line, purported to be in the region of £2.8 billion. Challenges to contract awards by a losing bidder are nothing new. Alstom challenged Siemens’ win of Eurostar’s rolling stock contract in 2011, for example. Laurie Waugh, government affairs manager at Siemens Mobility, explained the challenge: “We submitted a highly competitive bid to build Britain’s new HS2 trains, and raised a number

of concerns with HS2 about how they came to the decision to appoint another bidder as lead tenderer. “That’s why we’re challenging HS2’s decision in court and asking for injunction to stop the contracts being signed before the issues we’ve raised are resolved. “With such a big contract being let by a public body, it’s only right that taxpayers know they’re getting the best value for money, and to do that we need to know that the procurement process was run fairly and properly.”

Hitachi and Bombardier joined forces to offer this design

September 2021

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HS2

UK manufacturing

This legal challenge by Siemens is not the first time that lawyers have been involved in the HS2

Siemens Mobility’s proposal

“

With such a big contract being let by a public body, it’s only right that taxpayers know they’re getting the best value for money

“

Siemens Mobility is currently building a train manufacturing plant at Goole, East Yorkshire, in which it is proposing to build part of an order for Underground trains for Transport for London. However, industry observers have long realised that the new factory would also be an ideal facility in which to build high-speed trains for HS2. Siemens already has high-speed trains running in the UK – the latest Eurostar fleet was manufactured by Siemens in Germany. Hitachi Rail has a train-making factory in Newton Aycliffe, Country Durham, and built the latest intercity train fleets for LNER and GWR there. Bombardier Transportation, recently acquired by French train-maker Alstom, has a design office and factory at Derby, where a number of British train fleets have been built over the years including the new one for London’s Crossrail. It is believed that, if the joint venture does indeed win the order, manufacture will be split between the two British sites. Will Tanner, Alstom’s communications director for the UK and Ireland, stated: “We will not be commenting on ongoing legal proceedings.” Adam Love of Hitachi Rail said something similar: “We are aware of the speculation about the lead tenderer but we will not be commenting at this stage. We look forward to the conclusion of the procurement process.” In 2015, Hitachi acquired Italian train maker AnsaldoBreda, which, in another venture with Bombardier, manufactured the fleet of Frecciarossa (Red Arrow) ETR1000 high-speed trains for Italian state operator Trenitalia. All three companies have a high-speed pedigree (Hitachi also builds Japanese ‘bullet’ trains), but it will be interesting to see who wins the legal battle.

rolling-stock tendering process. In June, HS2 confirmed that it had reached an out-of-court settlement with Spanish manufacturer Talgo after it claimed that the procurement process had been botched. This was because HS2 had belatedly added rival Spanish manufacturer CAF to its list of bidders, after that company had mounted a legal challenge to being left out. CAF was then let in,

resulting in the out-of-court payout to Talgo. Talgo was planning to build a factory in Kincardine, Scotland, if it was successful in its HS2 bid. Those plans are now on hold, though could still materialise if Talgo wins other contracts from UK railways.

Work under way CAF already has a train manufacturing plant in the UK, at the Celtic Business Park, near Llanwern, Newport, South Wales. There, it is building regional trains for the UK network. The other HS2 bidder is Alstom. It made its own offer, having entered into the competition before it purchased Bombardier. With two chances of success, and now with the former Bombardier factory in Derby part of its group, it perhaps won’t be too upset if its standalone bid is rejected in favour of the joint venture with Hitachi.

Mike SURVEY CONSULTANCY LTD Chartered Land and Engineering Surveyors

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Building Britain’s RailwaysSeptember - Major projects 2021

RBD Community

Helping the rail industry to network and connect

With the creation of Great British Railways, and the emphasis on encouraging both passengers and freight onto rail to help the government meet its zero-carbon targets, the industry seems set for its biggest transformation since privatisation.

Eli Rees-King

ne of the activities which everyone missed during the recent COVID-19 pandemic was networking – the ability to meet colleagues from across the sector, discuss common problems and formulate solutions. Now that restrictions have eased, one of the organisations helping to bring the industry together and to encourage better communications between rail operators, contractors and their supply chains is the RBD Community, a dedicated business resource specifically set up to meet the needs of those working in the sector. “The RBD Community is a place where new business relationships can be forged, collaborations can be nurtured, and company profiles can be raised,” explained head of product and marketing Eli Rees-King. “There will be plenty of dot joining and connection making and it is our mission to make the community a hotbed for new business opportunities, either through networking and engagement or by acting on market intelligence carefully curated by the RBD Community team.” Eli is working alongside Rachel Woodman, client relationship manager, and Dan Clark, head

September 2021

of RBD Community, to develop this important business gateway to collaboration, business support and growth. “Helping to establish these business relationships calls on all of my experience, knowledge and connections and being at the RBD Community feels like my natural home,” said Eli. “It might be the companies that are named as members, but let’s not forget it is the people within those companies that make the real difference, and by tapping into an engaged and proactive community that offers advice, collaboration opportunities and the chance to do business – this is what the RBD Community is about.”

Team building Eli was previously a marketing director at Birmingham Centre for Railway Research and Education (BCRRE) Rail Alliance and a key member of a small but very effective team providing rail business support to organisations in the supply chain. Having worked in the rail industry for close to seven years, and before that in a number of other sectors including automotive, Eli’s skills and

experience set her in good stead to help grow and develop the RBD Community and support the organisations and people within it. She said: “Little did I realise the value of starting out in the automotive industry with a university placement at Vauxhall Motors in Ellesmere Port many years ago. “It was not the placement I had expected, especially considering my degree was in Business and Marketing, but what a lasting impression it made on me – the magic of innovation, design, engineering, manufacture, and the importance of industry. “Rail is now well and truly under my skin, and with a father in rail and now a partner in rail, you can imagine the conversation around the dinner table!” Companies are turning to the RBD Community as the country looks to build back stronger, building on relationships established as the industry worked together to keep goods and people moving during the coronavirus pandemic. “You don’t need me to point out that the pandemic has caused a great deal of distress on a number of levels, with the rail industry having its own wounds to bear,” Eli commented. “However, despite this, it is heartening to see that the prevailing mood in the rail industry is still one of optimism and belief that there is business to be made, with values that reflect the government’s agenda of net-zero targets and the green solutions needed to achieve them. “The recent Williams Review and the WilliamsShapps Plan for Rail appear to be widely embraced as bringing in long overdue change to the sector, with the customer at the centre of this reform. Only by working together towards a common goal, with collaboration and innovation at its heart, will this vision succeed, and this could almost be the mantra for the community.” One example of how membership can bring benefits to industry was on display at the recent Railtex/Infrarail exhibition, where dozens of first-time exhibitors participated in the RBD Community’s Eagle Lab, showing their products and services to hundreds of interested visitors from around the world.

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For more information on how to join visit RailBusinessDaily.com or email: Rachel@RBDCommunity.com

A n d F i n a l l y. . .

Restoring the past for future generations to enjoy

Bluebell Railway launches appeal to restore Horsted Keynes station

Image: David JC / Shutterstock.com

“

We view Horsted Keynes as our ‘jewel in the crown’ and we hope this appeal puts the sparkle back into the station

“

wear and tear. We view Horsted Keynes as our ‘jewel in the crown’ and we hope this appeal puts the sparkle back into the station. “For its age, Horsted Keynes station is in remarkably good condition, but now is the time to get on top of the deterioration. We believe it is one of the largest stations on preserved railways and the only junction station in preservation.” Photo: Tea N Bickie Photography / Shutterstock.com

he Bluebell Railway has launched an appeal for at least £500,000 to help in the restoration of a key station that has featured in scores of TV programmes and films. The heritage line is asking for public support to finance the repair of leaking roofs and replacement of rotting beams at the Grade II-listed Horsted Keynes station in West Sussex. The railway has carried out a major survey of the station and calculates the first phase of the repair work cost at least £500,000. The initial repairs will be to the station house and Platform 5. Later work will cover the other platforms. The railway’s appeal co-ordinator Trevor Swainson said: “The station buildings were built in Victorian times and are now showing signs of

September 2021

The Bluebell Railway is known as ‘The Line to the Stars’ because of its long history of filming dating back to 1961.

Star-studded station Over the years, many film crews and TV production companies have used Horsted Keynes station as a location for period dramas because of its look and feel. The station has appeared in the Downton Abbey TV series, The Woman in Black film, Poirot, Grantchester and a remake of The Railway Children. Among the stars to have visited the station for filming are Daniel Radcliffe, David Suchet, Dame Maggie Smith and Jenny Agutter. Built in 1882 by the London Brighton and South Coast Railway as part of the Lewes-East Grinstead line, Horsted Keynes station was bought by the Bluebell Railway in the 1960s and the preserved railway has maintained it and decorated it in the style of a Southern Railway junction station from the 1930s. Members of the Bluebell Railway Preservation Society have already pledged £20,000 and the railway’s charitable arm is promising to matchfund on a pound-for-pound basis all public donations between now and the end of January up to a total of £150,000. Full details of the various methods for making donations are at www.bluebell-railway.com/ make-a-donation/

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